


The Rise of Darkness

by Champion_of_Hades



Series: Champions of Olympus [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, RIORDAN Rick - Works, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Death, Destruction, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Food, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kissing, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:40:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 105,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27277375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Champion_of_Hades/pseuds/Champion_of_Hades
Summary: The Rise of Darkness is a book in the new series called the Champions of Olympus by me.It details the rise of Darkness, and how someone wants to take over the world.Will the new kid, who discovered that he is a special Half-Blood, have it in him to stop the world from being destroyed?Disclaimers: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. No copyright infringement is intended.English is not my first language so if there are grammar mistakes I apologize for that.Also the first few chapters may not be the best, it was my first time properly writing, however they do get better.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace
Series: Champions of Olympus [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1991644
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. A Message from Abdur before you start reading

I know what you might be thinking before you begin reading this book, you’ve most probably heard about half bloods, or demigods as they call them, you might be thinking that’s cool, I want to be one.  
You’ve probably read about Percy and you may as well have heard the rumor that they made Uncle Rick swear on the River Styx to present it as fiction since all of you and your minds would not be able to accept it and process it. Let’s just say it has rings of the truth to it.

So I’m going to tell you to take my advice and it’s not only my advice but it’s advice from most modern half-bloods. (Oh and I maybe pressured to write the following part but that’s just a minor detail)

If you think your a half-blood or even a descendent of one, close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.  
Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.  
If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.  
But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.  
Don't say I didn't warn you.

I know. I know a little dramatic but what can I say, I feel as if I owe a fair warning to the people about to read my recount of how my friends and I saved the world and don’t you dare start complaining that that’s exactly what Percy said to start his story off. I will not be very considerate and nice, you might just find yourself on the wrong end of a Sword.

If you have read any of the other books on half-bloods like me, then you will know that monsters have a keen sense which allows them to smell demigods, I’ve heard that it’s like melting butter on hot bread to them —but that just makes me feel very depressed—so that’s why most countries have satyrs in each school, so if they sense a demigod, they are on their feet to well do their job which is to protect us and if they feel that the monsters are zeroing in on us or we ourselves are understanding who we are, then they get us to camp half-blood before there can be.....’issues.’

Even on all these accounts some countries weren’t necessarily nice with us demigods, they made their own rules, infuriated some nature spirits and well it wasn’t pretty. The country I’m talking about is the UAE but apparently the whole Middle East did the same exact mistakes. So go figure.

The whole thing that happened was after the second Titan war, the rulers in the UAE weren’t particularly pleased or excited on the concept that there were monsters out there ready to rip their throats out, a lot of their money came from tourism that is so its understandable.

The way they handled this problem not so much, they got a lot of the leaders of the nature world together such as dryads, river nereids and they even invited Grover and they proposed that they will make the country into a beautiful nature hotspot and do their best to protect the wild in turn that all demigods be revoked from their land and that they remove any demigod from their country—they were probably thinking that the monsters would leave since their favorite food source would be gone and they were right

There was peace for a few years, the people in the Emirates held their promise not to burn the trees, pollute the seas and rivers. All was perfect for 3 years but then the whole tourism industry started kicking off in the UAE, by 2015 it was a mega-hub for the rich and elite’s business and well the leaders forgot their little promise.  
They started cutting down trees, polluting rivers and just overall being very bad—they were very lucky that they did not swear on the River Styx—so the dryads and other nature spirits were forced to pull out including the satyrs but before they left, they were sure to curse the country’s food production, so it would never be enough for them and woah that curse hit hard, I mean being a desert country the Emirates already have production issues but with this curse on them, they were barely getting by and having very big losses.

The leaders were smart enough to know that this was for breaking that promise they made so they decided to compromise and started creating artificial wilderness and started re-planting trees, and they labeled it as the “Re-Plantation for Rehabilitation Program” I know terrible name right.  
The Nature Spirits took back their curses but decided not to stay as they didn’t want to have any part of man-made nature. The satyrs didn’t stay because of the UAE’s demigod laws. (They must’ve thought that there would be no half-bloods needing protection)

So you might be thinking that’s all good and more happy thoughts. The UAE is very safe, no monsters, we should move there. Well no, there might be no half-bloods and the majority of the monsters also left—emphasis on majority—there was still a small hit-group of around 100-250 monsters, that are waiting for the return of half-bloods in the Emirates.

My name is Abdur.  
I am 15 years old. I was a student in a normal school, just 2 months ago. I was pretty good and smart in my class. But obviously my life would change when I find out that my new friend is not only a satyr—which is basically a half-goat and half man—but he is the literal protector of the wild.

And that’s a basic introduction to my situation but you might be thinking how is any of this related to me. Well if there weren’t enough things to set me apart from other half-bloods, I was different but more on that later.  
(Names will be redacted to keep privacy safe)


	2. Excerpt from Abdur’s File (Confidential)

Monster Name: Ari

Monster Species: Empusa

School Name: **redacted**

School Location: Dubai

Name: Abdur

Age: 15

Eye: Hazel

Hair: Black

Height: 5’8”

ADHD Status: Diagnosed

Dyslexia Status: Not Dyslexic 

Demigod Status: Unconfirmed

Interview of the Classmate:

(May 31, 2020 12:24 PM)

Ari: So how long would you say you’ve been friends with Abdur, and would you consider him your best friend.  
Redacted: Well I’ve been friends with him for 9 years so I’d consider us very close.  
Ari: Now can you please detail the whole story one more time from since the first day, please.  
Redacted: Ma’am are you sure this would help him because I don’t want anything happening to him.   
Ari: Yes child, I am very sure of it and if you don’t feel like directly telling it to me. I would completely understand and allow you to present your...recount...in a story format if it allows you to better cope with the....issues.  
Redacted: Yes thank you ma’am, I will submit it to you by the end of the week.

My thoughts about this school:

As an empusa, you don’t get used to trying to hide in this mortal format and especially when you’re punished by being sent to the worst place for my kind, a place with no demigods, I am really starving but this new kid Abdur, he has this aura to him and I really think he’s a half-blood, and with the aura I’m sensing from him...yes he has the smell of a demigod, he will allow me to be full after a long time. Now just to confirm it because if I feast on a mortal...no I can’t do that again not after the punishment from the first time.

Ah, that must be that dumb boy, back to submit his story, and confirm my suspicions, I just hope that stupid satyr protector hasn’t figured my plan out yet

Redacted’s recount on Abdur since returning

Well, I’ve been friends with Abdur since the second grade and I know him very well, so when I came in and had this sense of dread emanating from him, I didn’t understand it.   
The way it started was that when I came in to school on the first day, and saw him at the back with everyone trying to keep a table’s worth of distance from him. Well admittedly I got a little scared because Abdur normally was a very warm, nice and kind person, sure he had a fair share of haters but people wouldn’t purposely try to stay away from him.

The only one sitting with him was **redacted** , I figured that everyone was just subconsciously doing that and not purposely but the second I entered the room, I felt this sense of darkness and pain hit me like a bus going a 100 miles per hour, I don’t know what came over me but I just wanted to go to a corner and cry in fear, terror. It was weird, Would. Not. Recommend.

But still I put on a brave face and moved into the class room, and took a seat next to Abdur, we greeted each other and started talking but still there was something off about him like a different aura to him, he seemed more powerful and I might be the only one who admits it but everyone probably agrees with my observation.  
The reason I am sure of this is because most of the minor or smaller friendships with Abdur got broken instantly, maybe they were afraid of him because they understood his new found sense of power and they didn’t want to be on the wrong side of that.

Even in our main friendship group, there were only 3 people—including me, my brother and one of our old friends—that didn’t want to break the very good friendship we had.  
And that new American kid Grover. I don’t know what Abdur saw in him because normally we don’t welcome newcomers into our group that easily, so it annoyed me when I was about to tell Grover to go find some where else to sit, that Abdur said “redacted, that’s not how we talk to guests is it, we know more and should be respectful” but the venom he added in those words, it seemed unintended but still I shuddered in fear. He. Could. Not. Be. Replacing. Me

And well that’s about it besides the fact that Abdur got smarter, fitter and overall better but he also become more distant but all that is more on the normal side, I also saw some things on the more unnatural or supernatural scale. I will not be mentioning them here.

And that would be all, Teacher Ari I trust you not to send this information to anyone else.

End of Recount

Yes, this is it, my next meal has been decided and if I’m sure about this, it will be very yummy and it might even lift my curse.

Half-Blood Name: Abdur

Age: 15

Eye: Hazel

Hair: Black

Height: 5’8”

ADHD Status: Diagnosed

Dyslexia Status: Not Dyslexic

Demigod Status: Confirmed


	3. Abdur

I would say my life was pretty sheltered, and well pretty good and safe. I didn’t have much to worry about besides a bad grade or maybe bad internet connection but all that changed this year at around January when our school started back up and I made a new friend in Grover, he’s well.....peculiar to say the least

He had a degenerative disease which makes his legs hurt and he walks with a weird limp, but I became friends with him, almost instantaneously.  
I guess that was my way to cope because ever since school started everyone seemed distant and I actually liked that, I had a newfound power to me. I felt stronger, more in control. 

I wouldn’t call my self a trouble maker in any shape way or form, but when our new class teacher Miss. Ari came in, I felt resentment and a little scared from her for some reason.  
Miss Ari was a teacher specializing in mathematics from America, she was...different...to say the least because she had this limp, like Grover’s but here’s felt more mechanized in a way, like it wasn’t a disease but rather her legs which were the problem. Also she had her hair in a weird overflowing method.

When I joked with Grover, that she looks more like a monster than a teacher, he made a shocked face like I caught him in a secret but quickly realized I was watching.  
Then nervously laughed “You’re totally right.”   
Well that seemed weird to me, but I just let it go over my head.

A few months went by without any incident, besides Teacher Ari hating me and every part of me and I did see some weird unexplainable stuff.   
Sometimes I felt like I was being followed and something was waiting for me to give it a sign. Anyway, all was fine until one day, I was called to the front desk with Grover, the poor scrawny kid looked like his life was being taken from him.

“It’s going to be fine, probably just need our help for a minute or two,” I assured him even though I was also a little nervous, I had to be brave and lead onwards.  
“I..its..I jus.....I’m not....” He was just blabbering at this point.  
“Hey listen I won’t let you be in trouble Grover.”  
“I’m worried about you not me.” He bleated out   
At that point I could do nothing but laugh “Grover you look more worried than me, and you’re telling me you’re worried for me”  
He glared at me “Yes I’m worried for you.”  
Before I could even reply, he yelped “I think we’re here.”

There was this group of girls dressed in silver shirts and matching pants but all of them were carrying a bow, and had a quiver over their back.   
They were all taking orders from a girl dressed in complete black clothes, and a quiver as well. She had this sense of power and control to her, and admittedly she did look nice in a scary way, I deduced that she was probably the leader or a lieutenant.   
I looked at Grover and asked if he knew who these people were, he nodded and breath a sigh of relief and the color returned to his face. 

He went over to their leader and said “Hey Thalia, you guys got my distress signal.”  
She comforted Grover by saying “Yes we had to use the portal but we could only get a limited amount of hunters with us.”  
I interrupted “Well sorry to butt-in but who are you guys and how do you guys know Grover, but my biggest question is how did they let you gals in with those bows”

She laughed which warmed me to my bones “Well to answer your first question, we are...hunters....and we are very good friends of Grover and they can’t see our bows because of a mist which acts like a hidden veil. I hope you’re questions are answered.”  
There was a little hesitance at the hunters part form her and I also caught onto it, because most of them barely looked above 12-16.  
I pretended like I understood but I must’ve not done a good enough job to show it because Thalia laughed again and reassured me that she’d do a better job to explain later.  
I replied “Yes thank you very much Thalia but why was I also called to the front desk if you’re friends of Grover.”  
She frowned “You didn’t tell him, Grover. I thought Chiron made it clear to explain it to him, the moment you feel as if he’s being hunted.”

Grover stuttered “I....umm.....uhhh....I mean you know he’s different, he isn’t like most half-bloods, he’s special, we have to wait for the end of the academic year, he’s strong enough. He has to be.”  
Thalia scowled “Grover, the least you could have done was at least informed us about it.”  
I was utterly confused “Ok so it seems like you and Grover are talking about me, about something Grover should’ve told me, and I presume it concerns me being special, and different from what did you say...half-bloods? Someone feel like filling me in.”

Thalia broke the silence after a few seconds “Abdur, I’m so sorry for Grover not explaining the situation to you or...us...but I know he had the best of judgments in mind, but we cannot stay long here, it attracts...an unwanted presence which dangers us and you....so I will trust Grover’s judgment and meet you both by the end of the next week, till then stay safe and Grover do protect him.” She spoke with such kindness, it made me feel protected and reassured me.

As the hunters started to leave, me and Grover took the long walk back to our class, “Grover you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”  
He was quite for a whole minute “Abdur, you’re special, that’s all I can say for now, if I say more you may be in serious...trouble.”  
I assured him even though I myself was confused, “Grover it’s ok, whatever the problem is we’ll solve it, you don’t have to worry about me, but you do owe me an explanation by the end of the week.”  
He murmured “Ok sure but we might need more help.”  
  
By the time we returned to the class, the bell indicating the days end had rung and we all got ready to go home, I was still on edge because of the whole I’m special but it’s a problem, I was very lost and occupied in my mind for the whole trip back home.  
So when I say something bigger than regular bird fly overhead, I did not pay it much mind and I don’t think I should’ve paid it much mind either.  
The rest of the day was uneventful but the real problems for me started in the nights, I have never had lucid or really strong dreams, but that night was very different because I had nightmares like never before.

I was standing on the edge of a cavern, and I was looking into a dark pit, there was something down there, I couldn’t see anything but you know when you feel power radiating from someone important, I felt that but a hundreds fold, my brain was melting into a sludge.   
I just wanted to go and crawl into a corner and cry, the oxygen started being sucked out of my lungs and I felt like I was being suffocated.   
There were ghosts and other spirits trying to pull me away from the pit but there was something strong about it like it had it’s own gravity.  
Then whatever was down there spoke in a deep, dark tone, I had never felt as much pure terror as I did when I listened to whatever was down there speak, “Poor, little half-blood, you have already failed before it even starts, next time I will make sure that anything alive thinks twice before trying to kill a Primordial Deity, YOU SHALL PAY FOR GAIA’S DEATH.”

I woke up being yelled at, “Don’t you want to go to school, get up now.” I did wake up, drenched in sweat, trying to wrap my mind around what that thing in the darkness said, what’s a half-blood, why and how did I fail, what’s a primordial deity and who is Gaia. Why was I being targeted, What. Is. Happening. To. My. Life.  
And those nightmares did not really help my state of mind and being well rested, and I think Grover noticed that because he seemed more worried about me today, I didn’t even try to tell him not to be concerned because I was also scared.   
I think he sensed that because he asked me what was wrong, and I decided that I wouldn’t be like him, I won’t be secretive, he deserves to know, I won’t hide it if it concerns our safety. “Grover I had this weird dream” I continued to explain the whole nightmare.

As I was telling the dream, his face continuously become paler and I felt bad for him, but I told him “Grover, what are you hiding from me, please tell me.” He was quiet for a good whole 2 minutes before he muttered under his breath, “I’ve got to tell the hunters, they’ll bring Piper over.”   
I was getting annoyed at this point so I questioned him, “Grover who’s Piper and you do know that phones aren’t allowed in school, how will you contact the hunters?” Grover smiled weakly “I’ve got my...methods...don’t worry about me, but try not to attract unnecessary attention to yourself.” And then Grover left to the washroom.


	4. Percy Jackson

I was hoping to have a good retirement, well as good a retirement as half-bloods could have, but a life for a half-blood isn’t that easy because first I had to drive Apollo and Meg to Camp—I did agree to it so my friends aren’t to blame—but I didn’t plan on recking Paul’s Prius, but I’m so thankful that he is very understanding about saving the whole world 2 times, but then again who’s counting.  
You see I was just hoping to finish College in New Rome with Annabeth rather than having to fight again, so I hope you can understand why I wasn’t so thrilled when my Dad—he’s Poseidon, the king of the Sea if you do not know—(in a dream) told me that the fate of Olympus and the World is on the line again.   
I wasn’t shocked per say, but I did ask him to elaborate, he explained that the Olympian’s are restricted and are only allowed to elaborate partially to some of their children.   
“I choose you, the main problem is Tartarus has had enough of being the pit, he wants to see the whole world in Chaos, he is getting accustomed to his new form.”   
Poseidon took his time to breather and then continued to speak.  
“He’s already damaged my brother Hades kingdom very much, while I don’t like him a lot, he is still my older brother and I will protect him as best as I can.”

He continued by explaining that there’s a new demigod, “He has not yet been claimed but he’s already raised some flags among us because of his powers being unmatched, he might be as strong as you Percy.”  
I had accepted the fact long ago, that there might be a half-blood even stronger than me out there, so I was kind of relieved.   
But then the information he gave next, wasn’t very relieving, because Dad said that this new Demigod will be the key to save the world, he is the only one who can defeat Tartarus.  
And on that happy note, he finished by telling me that he’s already said too much and he has to go back.   
Now I would’ve been completely happy if my dream would’ve ended there but alas it could not so I was then whisked to a place which I’ve seen far too many times. Tartarus.

I was standing in a dark cavern overlooking the pit which I saw the first time talking to Kronos, it was still trying to take me in like the many times I’ve experienced it, like it wanted to pull me in and break my sanity.  
I’ve heard Tartarus speak before but my body still melted into my shoes when he said, “Remember Percy, not even the Olympian’s were worthy of my attention but the way you escaped from me, you’ve gained my begrudging respect but that does not mean that I will leave you and your kind, it just means that I will take my time killing you and Annabeth slowly, making your sanity crumble. Mark my words Perseus Jackson, You. Shall. Bow. To. Me.”

Finally I woke up, showered and got dressed but I was still a little late for Math Class. And Annabeth made sure I knew it by punching me on my shoulder. 

She looked shaken up for some reason though, maybe Athena choose to tell her—If I was Athena, I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else—about Tartarus trying to escape and about the new Demigod—after all the classes when me and Annabeth met for lunch, I decided to ask her, what was wrong and why she looked shaken up.  
She looked cornered, then sighed and said “It’s nothing, just didn’t sleep well.”  
I asked in a questioning tone, “You had some nightmares as too, didn’t you?’ I continued before she could answer. ‘Athena came to you right, saying that there’s a problem, and about a new very powerful half-blood and how we will have to help him otherwise....Tartarus.....destroys us, and then you were pulled by him to the pit.” 

Annabeth turned pale and replied, “Yes Seaweed brain, and I’m going to assume you also had dreams like mine, more or less.” I didn’t have to answer. 

We both knew how serious the matter was so I ventured, “Should we tell Frank and Hazel because if he’s rising then we need as much reinforcements we can get, and Camp Jupiter should be ready for war.” 

“Percy you know I’ve been thinking, isn’t it funny; we are always at the center of saving the world, and I thought we deserve a break, to go to college but I realized something, we’re heroes and while college is my priority and all but we should help Camp Half-Blood in anyway we can.”  
I laughed, kissed her and said, “I couldn’t have explained it better myself, Wise Girl.”

Then we ran off and crossed the Pomeranian line towards the Praetorian Gates, it did take some time to found the Praetors, but when we did find them, they looked like they needed more help than us, the third and fifth cohorts were having a fight—over what, I don’t think even they knew—and the centurions were having a little trouble keeping them apart.   
But order was reinstated the moment the praetors reached there. Praetor Frank turned into a Bear and roared, then he turned back into a human, I don’t think he’ll ever get over the fact that he can turn into any animal, including a swarm of bees—I’ve never understood that thought, is one bee an arm, one of them a leg, one of them an eye, it’s weird to think about.

It took them some time to sort out the problem, something about the third cohort shoveling manure from the stables into the fifth cohorts mess.   
Sometimes I really think if this is the army training being given to them but then again I was kicked out of 6 schools in 6 years, and 2 of them were military academies and they weren’t in any better conditions, if anything Camp Jupiter gives better and more strict training. Then the praetors came to us.  
“I assume you and Annabeth would like to talk to us.” Hazel inquired  
“Ding Ding Ding, Yes Hazel we’ve got some news and we’ll it isn’t really good news.” I cautioned

“Is it something to do with the excessive amount of monsters, we are facing?” Frank questioned.  
“Excessive monsters? Maybe, actually quite probably, but the thing I’d like to ask before we tell the news is if any of you have had any....nightmares....or dreams of your parents from the godly side not the mortal side. Or any warnings?” I questioned.  
“How’d you know Percy?” Hazel and Frank said at the same time. They both turned red.  
“Well, if you’ve got the message as well then you know the problem.” Annabeth added   
“Yes...my dads’s kingdom is under attack. And he said there’s only one way to defeat Tartarus and we’d understand that way only when the new demigod arrives, he should get a quest from the oracle, and my dad said that he’s a Greek half-blood before he could explain more, he said he has to go stop another attack.” Hazel told us dryly  
“I mean we’ve defeated Gaia, the greatest Dirt Face to be the earth, surely we can take on another primordial deity.” Frank didn’t seem that confident but as a praetor, he knows he can’t show doubt.

Annabeth warned “I’m afraid it isn’t as simple as that Frank, you weren’t there in Tartarus, it was me and Percy, and I still have nightmares about that place. I only survived because I was with Percy, I don’t know how Nico didn’t go insane, I mean he’s one of the strongest half-bloods I know, but being alone there.....it would drive the greatest to sheer insanity....”  
Frank reiterated with a little more doubt “Ok so killing Tartarus is a no go, until we can find this new half-blood but we don’t even know who he is or where he is, so how exactly are we going to find him?”  
I broke the silence “Ok so first of all, do I have permission to give orders Dear Praetors?”   
Frank granted me permission and a free punch on the arm. Ouch. I continued with the plan, “Ok to begin with, I think we should get New Rome ready for a war, because the monster attacks are only going to get worse. I will also be telling Chiron about this new half-blood and tell him to send Grover —he’s our best protecter—and I will also tell him to get Camp Half-Blood ready for battles to come. Me and Annabeth, if it’s fine with you Annabeth, we will be making our way to Camp Half-Blood and helping the preparations and we’ll make sure that the new demigod also gets the best training.

We all agreed on it and were about to part off before Hazel laughed “Hey are you sure you shouldn’t be a praetor because the way you gave orders, you feel perfect for the role.” We all laughed, because for all we knew this may be our last laugh for a long time.  
Me and Annabeth made our way back to the Pomeranian Line and I decided that Terminus should have a heads up and he might be able to help us.   
So I decided to take riptide (uncapped) over the line when my favorite border agent appeared, in all his glory as a statue without legs and arms, with Julia as his assistant.  
I greeted him “Hey Terminus, before you get mad at me for trying to smuggle in riptide, please understand that this was the only way to get your attention. You see I felt as if I should warn you about an impending attack on New Rome, and you as the Roman God for boundaries should definitely know.”  
He snapped back “Percy Jackson, before I get mad at you and slap you, explain how there could be an attack on new Rome when the legionaries are protecting it, who is dumb enough to attack us.” 

I tried not to get annoyed, “Well it’s Tartarus-  
“Don’t you dare utter that name in front of me” He screamed   
I apologized “I’m sorry Terminus, I’ll keep that in mind, so it’s...The Pit...he is sending monsters and trying to make the whole world well a pit.”  
“Thank you for the warning Percy Jackson, I will keep this in mind and be grateful by not slapping you or punishing you in any way. Now you may pass.” He sounded very un-enthusiastic about it though.  
“Yes, thank you very much Terminus” Annabeth added in before I could get seriously annoyed and make the situation complicated, yes I am very good at that.

We made our way down to Bombilo’s Café, where we got ourselves a place to create an Iris-Message.   
I threw a golden drachma into the rainbow mist we created and said, “Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. I want to see Chiron at Camp Half-Blood.”   
The image shifted to the big house where Chiron was sitting and talking to Mr. D  
“Chiron, we need to talk, we have a very serious problem.” I informed him   
Mr. D interrupted “Ah is that Peter Johnson, well I’ve got to leave now, I’m very allergic to that Peter Kid.” I was very thankful for the fact that he was leaving.  
“Yes Percy and Annabeth what were you both about to say” Chiron asked us, Annabeth and I did our best to explain the dreams, about what our parents told us, and that other half-bloods would’ve also had these dreams.   
We also told him about the new demigod, the only one that could save us from Tartarus. Then we told him about what we saw in the pit, and what Tartarus told us. He didn’t seem the littlest bit shocked. But it took him a few moments to reply

“Yes, I was fearing this, Apollo told me the problem in January, he said he had complete permission of the Olympian Council, so I asked Grover about it and he said that he would be willing to go to wherever this demigod is, it took us a few weeks to track him, and we did. The demigod is on the other part of the world, in the Middle East. So we had the Hunters accompany him, but we had to take a little help from Sadie and Carter Kane to open a portal and find a reliable way to keep it open in the UAE. So Thalia, 19 more hunters and Grover went there. Grover is currently acting as a school kid.”  
I was shocked that this has been happening for so long and I didn’t even know it.   
But I was mostly happy that Grover went to get this kid because if he is as important as he sounds then we don’t want him being swayed in the wrong direction but at least I know that the best protector is available to him.   
I must’ve been quiet for a pretty long time because Annabeth had to cut the connection and ask me if I was ok. I reassured her but suddenly I was getting a splitting headache. I fainted but then I heard and saw someone. It was Grover.

“Percy, please tell Chiron to send Piper and get reinforcements ready at Camp Half-Blood, I’ve got a very strong half-blood with me and a lot of monsters are hunting him...he’s different....not like most half-bloods.”  
I woke up to Annabeth looking over me, but I was somewhere else, it looked like the infirmary. Annabeth saw that I was waking up so she came over and screamed at me, “Seaweed Brain, don’t you dare faint on me again, please I can’t lose you again.” Then she wrapped me in a fierce hug. “Can’t. Breath. Please.” I muttered. She let go of me.  
I inquired, “How long was I out?”  
Her smile faded away, “Half an hour Percy.”  
I got worried and explained what my empathy link with Grover showed and what he told me. And then that was decided that we have to tell Chiron.


	5. Abdur

“Hey Grover, Thalia said that we’d meet by today since it’s the last day of school and you have some explaining to do, so where are we meeting?” I questioned Grover because I was very curious to see why I’m different.  
“Yes, so me, Thalia, the hunters and Piper will meet below your house and I know I’ve got some explaining to do but just focus on getting through the last period of the last day.” Grover nervously explained.   
I know when he’s nervous because he starts chewing and eating his pencil and his bladder become...ahem nervous like him.

I remembered Grover saying something about his own methods of contacting them so I asked him, “Grover that reminds me, who’s Piper and what are your methods? You never told them to me.”   
Grover paused but then admitted, “Piper is another one of my friends, and my methods include sending an Iris Message and an Empathy Link, but I’ll explain all that to you later.” 

A few minutes later a voice crackled over the intercom, “Abdur, please report to Miss Ari’s office in the Administration Block, as soon as possible.”   
Grover looked like he just lost 10 years of his like and stuttered out, “Ab..Ab...Abdur....Don’t go please, we’ve only got 2 minutes left before the day ends, go to the washroom and hide there please.”   
I was getting a little annoyed, “Grover seriously, I just have to go to the Counselors Office, plus Miss Ari is our class teacher. I don’t have anything to worry about, I’ll meet you and the hunters today by 5:30, below my house. Ok.”  
Grover bleated out, “Blaaahhh....No Abdur please or let me come with you, it’s not safe for you.”   
I was flattered that Grover cared about me so much and wanted to protect me from everyone but it was just a meeting with the Counselor, nothing would go wrong.

“Grover it’s really fine, I’m going now, I’ll take my bag with me.” I told him that and left. I was honestly a little worried about why I was being called, as I was walking, I noticed something wrong with the walls....weren’t they always a cream brown colored, since when were they pained red....I must be going crazy. 

Then something bolted by too quickly for me to see, I just caught a glimpse of flickering bronze as it flashed by. Yup, I’m going crazy alright.  
When I finally made it to the Administration block, the final bell rang, and that seemed ironic, my freedom has arrived but I’ve got to suffer for some more time.   
I asked our front desk secretary Mrs. Claire, if I could enter Mrs. Ari’s office since she called me. I was given permission to enter.

Miss Ari greeted me, “Hello Abdur, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for your kind.”  
I was offended, “Ma’am, what do you mean by my kind. Do you mean a Pakistani? Ma’am that is inappropriate, you aren’t allowed to say stuff like that.” I spoke with confidence and anger   
“Don’t you understand you silly and dumb half-blood, I shall feast on your blood, for I am an Empusa. Now why don’t you come here and give me a hug”   
She spook with malice and I was starting to freak out. And there was that word again, Half-blood, Grover has really got some explaining to do.  
I stuttered because of fear, “Miss Ari, what are you talking about, is that a place, or a group of people. What’s an Empusa ma’am.” In all honesty, I was just trying to buy time and find an escape route.   
Miss Ari hissed back, “You dumb demigod, I am a child of Hecate, and I shall feast on you, and my curse will be lifted.”   
I remembered something from my Greek mythology lessons, Hecate is a minor goddess, and Empusa were her children, they were formed when they escaped from Pandora’s Pithos.

I barked back, trying to sound confident, but I was stuttering with fear and I don’t think I was doing a very good job. “I know you. The first of your kind came out when Pandora opened the Pithos.”   
She smiled thinly, “So you aren’t as dumb as I thought you were.” Then her form started changing and shifting into what I presumed was her actual or real form.   
Her hair started to flame up, and her eyes started glowing a blood red color. She had two varying types of legs, one was a donkey’s leg, and the other was a royal bronze color, which had a slight glow to it.   
I mean I don’t think I could have helped saying. “You’ve got a donkey’s leg?”  
She snarled, “I was thinking I’d have mercy on you, but you had to mention my-  
I breath a sigh of relief as I saw Grover appear, at least someone could mention witnessing my murder, or he might know something special.   
He yelped, “Abdur use this.” And he threw a bronze long-sword, it had the same mesmerizing glow as the Empusa’s leg.   
It felt awkward in my hands though, it seemed lop-sided and unbalanced, but beggars can’t be choosers.   
I was so confused but I guess my impulsiveness got the better of me and saved my life. (I have ADHD)

The next few minutes were all a blur but I remember catching the sword, (how did I not hurt my self is beyond me) and then slashing at the Empusa.  
I don’t know what got in me but suddenly I was an expert in sword fighting, the Empusa tried to bite me and kick me with that donkey leg—I heard it really hurts getting kicked by a donkey so I did not want to get kicked—she almost slashed at me with her talons, but I was on top of the world.   
I couldn’t be hit, and when she finally made a mistake by getting to close, I hit her with the hilt of my sword and was about to impale her when she burst into flames, and just like that I was standing with a sword, and my friend Grover.   
The fire alarm was blaring loudly and I knew it was a matter of minutes before the authorities got there and I was in serious trouble. 

I looked at Grover in alarm but he didn’t seem shocked or scared rather he looked sad as if it’s his fault that my teacher tried to murder me. He followed with, “Abdur I’m so sorry, I couldn’t tell you....it’s...its...my fault.....”   
I cut him off, “Grover it is not your fault but you really need to explain to me all of what just happened today, I’ve got to go home now.”  
He nodded and agreed with me but warned me, “Abdur no matter what you do now, until me and the hunters reach your place. Do not think about what just happened, try to keep your mind as blank as possible, now that you’ve showed your potential, all the monsters in this desert will try to hunt you and kill you. They’ve not had a meal for a long time and they will not stop at anything to kill you. Do you understand.”   
I nodded in agreement. I was a lot of things but dumb was not one of them, I knew to follow orders.   
As we stepped outside the cold wind hit my face and it felt really metaphorical that there were big rain clouds forming on the horizon, and I don’t know if Grover felt it but I knew this was just the calm before the storm

I knew Grover had ordered me not to think about the events that just transpired but it was still really hard to not think about what happened, I guess the thought of monsters killing me and eating me, really off put the idea to do the opposite of what Grover said.   
Nothing eventful happened at home, which I don’t know if I should’ve been grateful for, or be scared that something major would happen, I continued reading the fifth book in the Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan, it helped put me to ease and concentrate on something else.   
My ADHD becomes almost nonexistent when I’m engrossed in a good book. And at exactly 5:30 on the dot, the bell rang, and I opened the door to Grover, expecting a lot of answers.

“Ok Grover you’re here. So do you want to come in or should we go down. Where are the hunters?” I asked him many questions.  
He replied, “We...can’t stay here. The hunters are waiting for us downstairs, once we get there, we can tell you everything.”  
“Ok Grover, let me just tell my parents I’m leaving.” I explained  
Then I loudly announced to my parents, “I’m going down to play.” And I was given permission to leave so me and Grover took the lift down from my apartment on the 7th floor of the building.   
We walked from the building to a sandy plain behind the building, you tend to have a lot of those in deserts. Thalia, and 9 more hunters were there with another girl, I presumed she was Piper.   
Her tone was coppery, she had beautiful auburn hair, and eyes that changed color from blue to brown to green, it was really captivating and mesmerizing. I might’ve been a bit taken aback. She had a dagger with her, and was looking into it.

Thalia spoke when she saw us arrive, “Ok you guys are finally here, we’ve been waiting for a long time, Abdur are you ok, Grover told me you faced some....difficulties.”   
I explained what happened, including a monster calling me a demigod, and something about her being an Empusa, who has a curse on her.   
When I told them she burst into flames, a frown started forming on Thalia’s face. I then told them about my nightmares, when something told me about Gaia, and how I would pay.   
When I was done, nobody dare spoke for a few minutes, I had to cut through the awkwardness which was building up.

“Ok so I was promised answers, why does everyone keep calling me different and a half-blood.” I said with a questioning tone.   
Grover declared, “Ok Abdur this won’t come easy but remember the books you were reading about Percy Jackson and the Olympian’s, and the other few series by that person who comes over to our camp every Summer, I think he’s Rick Riordan. Well all of that is true, all the Greek myths of Gods, Titans, Monsters, Heroes. All of it is true. Gaia woke up about 2 summers ago.”  
I didn’t dare speak, because I was shocked to my core and my beliefs were crumbling in front of me, and I could do nothing about it. I was becoming dizzy.  
Thalia put her hand on my shoulder, and she silently but with comfort in her tone said, “Abdur it’s ok to be confused about this, it’s a lot of information to take in, I remember running away the time I discovered that I was a half-blood.”   
I replied shakily, “Oh yea, your a daughter of Zeus right.” She nodded. 

But then another problem came into my mind, “Wait so you’re saying I’m a half-blood.” It was my turn to laugh. “Oh God, you guys don’t understand, I’m 100% sure that both my parents are mortals.  
“Oh no...Abdur....you don’t understand. I thought you kn-“ Thalia was cut off by Grover   
“Thalia, that’s what I meant by he’s different even for a half-blood, but I can’t tell it to him now otherwise, the results will not be very good we have to get to camp half-blood, that’s the only place he’ll be safe.” Grover explained.  
“No, Grover you don...can’t....don’t mean that.” Thalia asked her voice implying she was scared. Grover nodded with fear building up on his face. I got annoyed and made sure everyone knew it.   
“I thought it was clear we’d not hide anything from each other.” I insinuated, while withdrawing backwards. 

Piper finally spoke up but I knew better to be fooled by the Charm Speak, though I think she had toned it down a lot because I barely felt it. “Abdur, I’m really sorry that you’re going through this, but you have to stay strong, and you should trust us because I’m sure that Grover knows what he’s doing, and if he messes up, we both can hit him together. How’s that sound?”   
My anger withdrew, I eased and walked back to the circle.   
I apologized for acting rashly and then further explained myself, “I’m sorry it was just too much to take in at once but we have a slight problem on our hands don’t we.” Thalia asked me what the problem was.   
And I explained that my parents are mortals, they won’t understand the whole Olympian concept and the whole Camp Half-Blood is the only safe haven for me.

“Oh, yes but that’s just a minor inconvenience.” Thalia said while grinning, “I’ve got a great idea.” I read her face and my legs became weak at the thought.  
I exclaimed, “No Thalia, you can’t mean ask Piper to charm speak to them. Please there mortals plus I don’t want this to be the method, also you know how after a while the person understands what happened so I don’t want there to be a search mission going on for me, because I was kidnapped by 2 girls and a boy from my school.”   
Thalia understood the problem and nodded at me. “Ok we won’t ask Piper to charm speak to them, but do you have any other ideas.” I grinned widely and laughed, “Actually I do.”

Piper smirked, “Oh no, I know that look, Leo makes that look when he has these crazy ideas of his.”   
I remembered reading about how Leo had these crazy ideas but they worked, it made me feel weird that he was an actual person.   
“Well, let’s just say it’s not that crazy and it might not work.” I unfolded my plan which includes us taking to my parents telling them about how Thalia, Grover and Piper are counselors at a Military Camp in the deserts of Dubai.  
(I want to go to Pakistan’s Army as an officer so it makes sense to me) But in reality they would take me to camp half-blood for the summer and bring me back by the end of the summer.   
But we have to make it seem real so we’ll say that, they had a quiz at our school and I came first so I get a discounted price of a 100 AED.

Grover added, “Abdur that’s a good base but there are definitely some flaws to this plan, such as how are we going to pose as counselors, but besides that we have to convince your parents. I don’t assume that to be very easy.”  
Thalia smiled and admired my plan, “I actually like the plan very much plus we have a child of Hecate, here in the hunters. She can manipulate the mist to make it seem like we have an Adult Chaperone from the Camp and we can keep Piper as a last resort because you have to understand Abdur, you getting to camp is really important.”   
I understood that there was probably a world ending event about to happen, but I didn’t understand on how or why I was important to stopping it. 

I continued with a little more confidence, “But how are we going to get to Camp Half-Blood, last I recalled it was in Manhattan, right?”   
Thalia grinned at me and nodded, “Well we have a portal here in the Museum of Sharjah. So there’s an easy way of going and coming.”   
I smiled back and said that I won’t even question it. “So we have a clear plan but there’s one last minor detail, what if my parents want to see a website, or see the area where it is.”   
This time Grover answered back, “Well we have a ruined ‘school’ site, I’m pretty sure with some time we can remodel it as our ‘Military School’ but we’ll say it’s recommended to let the Pupils stay without a connection to the world. We will also tell your parents, that we can’t have phones there, but we have a landline.”  
I felt utterly confident and was about to celebrate, “Ok so we have a complete plan and it only took us about half an hour. So let’s go and get me enrolled into Camp Half-Blood.”

Well, everything went according to the plan, I don’t know if being a demigod is really this easy but if it is then I can get used to it.   
We told my parents of how I got selected for Military Training Camp. And Lilac’s (The Daughter of Hecate who was manipulating the mist to make it seem like we had a senior with us.) magic was working very well.   
My parents asked when I was supposed to go, all of us said together, today is perfect and then continued to laugh.  
But no plan is that easy, because they wanted proof of it’s existence, any phone number or reference or a website with pricing.   
I hadn’t thought about this, so I knew I was busted and I think Piper and Thalia felt that too because Piper was about to say something—I assumed she was about to charm speak—but Grover interrupted before the situation got complicated   
“Well Sir, we have a website which is readriordan.com and we have a twitter handle @camphalfblood and both have the official prices which are 300 AED and since your child is getting a discount his final price will be 100 AED.”

And that was that, me, Grover, Thalia, Piper and the hunters made our way to the Sharjah Museum, then walked to the Egyptology part of the museum and found the relic that will be transporting us.   
But before we went through it, I had to ask, “How many of us can go through it?” Thalia replied, “All of us but it might be a little discomforting.” Now here’s the thing I don't recommend Portal travel if you're scared of:  
a) The dark  
b) Cold shivers up your spine  
c) Strange noises  
d) Going so fast you feel like your face is peeling off  
e) Coming through the other side covered in dust  
In other words, I thought it was awesome.

When we finally arrived, Grover simply stated, “Welcome to New York.”


	6. Annabeth

When Percy told me what he saw with his empathy link, I immediately decided to Iris Message Chiron again.   
This time we created a mist in the infirmary itself. We were back at the big house after depositing our drachma, Percy explained what Grover told him when talking to him with the empathy link and then I told Chiron, that were coming to Camp Half-Blood, because it was already summertime and we had only a few non-mandatory classes left which we could skip.   
Chiron told us, that it’s fine and we can spend the week at college and come later. But I and Percy were very insistent because if this new half-blood was as strong as Percy then we need to find a way for him to channel his powers quick.

I broke the connection and the image faded, I told Percy to gather all the important things he needs, and I asked him if he could call BlackJack, that would be our most reliable method to get back to Camp.   
He said that he would see if BlackJack can get here in time and then I informed him that I would be coming back in 15 minutes and to not do anything stupid. He just smiled back and said, “Don’t count on it, but where are you going? “  
Then I smirked at him and told him that I was just getting something important for our winged friend.

I went back to Bombilo’s Cafe, where the beautiful fragrance of fresh-baked, loaves of bread and fried doughnuts was overpowering.   
I took out 5 denarii, the standard Roman currency, and asked Bombilo for a dozen donuts, I did not know, what kind BlackJack liked so I took a mixed assortment of plain, sprinkles and cherry flavored. Then I made my way back to the infirmary.

Percy had got packed very quick and BlackJack had also arrived, they looked like they were in a conversation—if you don’t know, Percy can talk to horses—I startled Percy and BlackJack neighed, “Hey what were you both talking about.”   
I inquired from them and by the look of Percy’s frown, it seemed as if I caught him at a bad time. “Yea, BlackJack was just telling me of the many monster attacks, they’ve been having at Camp. He said a Drakon somehow made its way into camp and ruined Cabin 5, and well the Ares Cabin wasn’t happy about it, so they killed the Drakon and used its bones as ‘War Trophies’ for their cabin’s decoration.”   
I wasn’t too fazed as it seems like just the thing you expect from the Ares Cabin.  
“But in other news, I brought these donuts for you BlackJack.”   
Percy laughed, “Black Jack says that you’re the best person ever.”  
I kissed him, “I already know that seaweed brain.”

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over riding a Pegasus, if you have never ridden a Pegasus, then it’s something I recommend you do at least once in your life.   
It feels so thrilling, the wind rustling by your face, taking in all the sights of wherever you’re passing through, the only downside is it might get a little uncomfortable after the first hour.   
Even though BlackJack can fly at the speed of planes, it’s still a pretty long ride to Camp Half-Blood.

By the time we arrived there, darkness was settling over the camp. They would probably be having a Capture the Flag session right now.   
So it seemed weird because of how quiet, everything was. Percy noticed it as well, “Something’s wrong. It’s never this quiet when there having Capture the Flag.” I nodded and looked over towards the creek which serves as the boundary lines, there were no visible half-bloods but I did make out the shape of a Giant Scorpion.  
Then Percy directed BlackJack to set us down near the Big house. We entered the Big house and made our way to the Rec Room, the councilors were having an argument it seemed by the shouting emanating from the room.

A war council was going on, all the head councilors were present.   
Before we entered the room, I gestured for Percy to wait, because I knew if we entered Chiron might stop the discussion and I was really curious about what the bickering was going on about. Percy understood my signal and he grinned at me.  
I identified the person who was screaming at the others as Sherman Yang, the head counselor for the Ares Cabin.   
Now Sherman might look scrawny for a son of Ares but you should not underestimate him because while he isn’t completely strategic for battle—he prefers to go head-on and face the problem—he is still clever enough to trick the Apollo Cabin into doing all of the Ares Cabin’s chores. 

He was bellowing, and his voice was seething with anger, “I thought the magical boundary was supposed to protect us, so please tell me how did a DRAKON get into camp and damage my CABIN.”   
My second in command for the Athena Cabin, Malcolm Pace, tried to control the situation, “Well it could’ve been in the Woods already and it was a pretty small Drakon, and it probably tried to target your Cabin because it didn’t like the look of the Boar Head.” Some of the Head Counselors snickered. But that didn’t do anything to calm down Sherman, “Very funny, Owl-Head, now if you don’t want to be drowning in toilet wa-

“ENOUGH.” Chiron shouted trying to bring order back to the meeting, “We are here for a war council and all of you are bickering like this. In a few days, we are going to have a half-blood join us, who is stronger than most of you and he is the key to saving the World, I don’t know if you all have understood, what is happening. Tartarus is a stronger enemy than all the enemies you have faced combined, and he has shifted the belief of some of the underworld spirits to his side. So I would like it if we can discuss strategy. Nico, please tell us what’s happening in the Underworld.”

Nico shuddered before continuing, “Well, Tartarus has swayed some of the spirits to his side, for example, he has got the Keres to work for him, normally they do not attack but when Tartarus promised them the world would writhe in pain and they could do as much damage as they want to, they happily obliged.”   
Nico stopped for a moment to let that settle in. “He has also gotten the daughters of Nyx, The Arai, on his side. So we have serious problems coming up.” I decided that was enough of listening and nodded at Percy giving him the signal to enter.

Chiron welcomed us by hugging me and Percy, everyone else calmed down and questioned us about why we took so long and how our college was going.  
It was good that people were concerned but we had bigger problems on hand. I spoke with authority, “I know we’ve come after a long time, but I think we were having a war council. We will continue with the meeting before looking at other matters.”   
All the Head Counselors together was an impressive sight if you liked war planning, which I did. I let Malcolm Pace sit in as the Head Counselor for Athena’s Cabin, even though he was very insistent on me taking his place.  
The way the table was set, it was a very long table with Chiron sitting at the head of the table, then on his left were the seats of the Cabins for the Goddesses. (Mostly)

Demeter headed by Katie Gardner during the summer and Miranda Gardiner during the rest of the months.  
Athena headed by Malcolm Pace, who was in charge while I was away, I decided to stand next to Chiron.  
Artemis whose seat way empty, it would be occupied by her Lieutenant if available. Which is currently Thalia Grace  
Aphrodite headed by Piper, but she was with Grover and the other hunters helping get this new Half-Blood here.  
Dionysus, our lovely (not really) camp director, headed by his son, Pollux who was fidgeting with some vines in his hand.  
Nike, headed by the very competitive twins, Holly and Laurel Victor, and last but not least the Hecate Cabin, headed by Lou Ellen.

Then on his right, we had another set of seats, starting with the Zeus Cabin’s seat which was empty signifying no campers for that cabin.  
On the next seat, it was Poseidon’s, and Seaweed Brain took the seat and looked to his left and saw the empty seat and was undoubtedly thinking about Jason.  
Sherman Yang was sitting and representing the Ares Cabin and still looking mad.  
Will Solace, son of Apollo sitting for his fathers' cabin.   
The Hephaestus cabins seat was empty since Leo was the Head Counselor and he was still at the Way Station.  
Connor Stoll was sitting there on the seat of the Hermes Cabin, he was fidgeting with a mini Caduceus.   
Nico sat next to him, his Stygian iron sword set on the table, that was the only weapon allowed on the table it seemed.   
Butch, the buff Iris counselor was sitting and stuffing color pencil up Clovis’ nose who was representing Hypnos’ Cabin.

I internally smiled, thinking of where we are from where we were, before we had 12 cabins and not all of them were full, now we had reached twenty.   
Half-bloods were being found left-right and center. I had designed mount Olympus. We saved the world 2 times and we were back at it for the 3rd time.   
The meeting continued, we decided to host the Capture the Flag session tomorrow, we were also getting the armory backed up and we would be training extra hard.   
We would also look to prioritize the training of the New Half-Blood, who’s arrival we were still waiting for. Chiron asked me and Percy to stay after the meeting was over.

Chiron talked to us on the patio after everyone had left, “You see that’s what I’ve been facing since yesterday when that Drakon attacked.” Chiron continued before we could say something. “Annabeth and Percy, I am so glad, you both are here. We need some leadership at camp, last I checked with Grover if everything went according to his plan. The hunters with Piper accompanying the new Demigod and Grover would arrive by tomorrow.” We understood what Chiron meant.

Percy and I nodded, and I told our instructor, “Chiron, we are here now and we’ll do our best to get everything ready and we will try our best to get everything ready for the new kids training. We will defeat Tartarus.”  
Percy agreed, “Yes Chiron we’ll make sure that Tartarus is reduced to nothing but a myth.”   
I also added, “Chiron, could I ask a favor from you?” Chiron’s nose wrinkled and he asked me to go ahead and ask. “Well, I was hoping you could tell the Cleaning Harpies to not eat us after curfew. Because I and Percy were planning to go through a complete run-through of the Camp.”  
He smiled, “Sure but try not to make too much noise, we don’t want other campers getting ideas.”   
Percy laughed, “Chiron, I hope you don’t plan on making us keep to that promise, I mean I’ll try but if I see any monster, it’s dying. I haven’t had to kill any monster for months, I’m a little bored, you could say.”   
I chuckled as well, “Don’t worry Chiron, we won’t make noise but we will kill monsters.” And like that he allowed us to leave but warned us to wait for at least an hour before we decide on taking a walk through the camp. I went back to my cabin and so did Percy,

Malcolm welcomed me as I entered, “Hey Annabeth, I’m so glad you came, we need you and Percy, as you saw, we’ve been having some serious problems, the monsters seem more in numbers and more powerful.”   
I reassured him, “Malcolm don’t worry, we’ll get through this, we’ll win like we always do.” He started frowning even more and tried to calm himself by breathing slowly.  
“Annabeth you don’t understand, the campers are more distant than they’ve ever been, the rivalries between parents have been magnified. Just last week the Hephaestus cabin attacked the Ares Cabin and destroyed one of their chariots, they’re being influenced, I just know it.” I nodded and gave him a minute to breathe before he continued talking.   
“About 2 weeks ago, Ellis Wakefield tried to punch Nico, and well let’s just say skeletons came out of the ground blocked the punch but Nico called them off. I don’t know how he kept his calm but I am happy he did. Chiron gave Ellis a strict punishment, he has still got to clean the stables for another 6 weeks.” Malcolm laughed and calmed down a little.

I also laughed but the whole story he told me, shook me up a little. I mean the cabins turning on each other was not needed on top of everything going down, “You seem tired Malcolm, get some rest.” He sighed and nodded, then went to his bunk and laid down.   
I started taking things out of my bag and putting them on my bed. And went to the Library side of the Cabin and started reading some books and waiting for an hour to pass by.   
By the time the next hour had passed, I felt rejuvenated. I think Camp had that effect on me or maybe it was my mom's statue, The Athena Parthenos. I always felt a magical presence from it.   
My theory was confirmed once when the Colossus Neronis attacked us even though I wasn’t there to witness it.   
The campers told me that the Athena Parthenos combined with the Camp’s magic border stopped it only until Apollo could get there so it wasn’t very strong but we Children of Athena learn one thing from the beginning, mom is the best at everything.   
With those happy thoughts, I left the building to go find Percy.

I walked by a harpy and hoped that she had got the message from Chiron, she clucked and hissed at me as she walked by, but at least she did not try to eat me.   
I walked over to Cabin 3, Poseidon’s Cabin, and I knocked on the door and Percy came out, wearing a new Camp Half-Blood shirt. He laughed, “Who knew there was a spare shirt in the cabin.” I intertwined my hands in his and laughed with him, “Come on Seaweed Brain, let’s take a walk.”   
We walked to the beach, walking near the outskirts of the North woods, keeping a lookout for stray monsters, I pointed at the sky, “Look, Percy, there’s Zoé’s constellation. I still can’t believe it’s been so long.”   
Percy agreed with me, “She gave her life for us...She defeated Atlas. She distracted Ladon. I mean I wasn’t too good with her, to begin with, and I regret that.”   
I gave him a comforting smile, “I’m sure she knew your intentions were good Percy, you were trying to save me.” His face turned a shade of red. I laughed but something started rustling in the bushes of the forest to our left. 

I got my Drakon-Bone sword—which was gifted to me by the Friendly Gigantes, Damasen—out of my backpack, and Percy uncapped Riptide.   
We both have done so many battles together, we both knew each other’s battle strategies and styles perfectly.   
We backed up to each other’s sides and waited for whatever it was to come out of the forest.   
A single Scythian Dracaena emerged from the forest, in all of its hideousness, like all Dracaena, it was humanoid from the top but had two snake trunks for legs.   
I breathe a sigh of relief, then I and Percy charged each taking a flank, our strategy was that the Dracaena would have to take one side and the person on the other flank would slice or stab from the back. It worked and that was that.

Percy said simply and I was pretty sure I heard a hint of disappointment, “Well that was easy.” I nodded but I wasn’t disappointed by the lack of monsters.   
I laughed and said, “It almost seems like you want monsters Seaweed Brain.” He laughed and made a silly face at me. “Wise Girl.”   
For a moment I forgot all my problems, I was with Percy and I was happy, that’s all I ever wanted.  
Percy spoke and he sounded a little sad, “We should probably be getting back to our Cabin, it’s getting late and we have a lot of work to do tomorrow.” We made our way back and when we came near the cabins, we kissed one more time before saying good night to each other.

I woke up the next morning to screaming, I quickly brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and got dressed.   
By the time I came outside, I was told by Malcolm that a Dragon was attacking the Camp Borders, the border patrol already made its way there, Nico and Percy are discussing a plan at Hestia’s Hearth.   
I thanked Malcolm and told him to play defensive and not let any other monsters get close to camp, he obliged and scurried off.   
I made my way to Hestia’s Hearth and found Percy and Nico discussing how to kill the Dragon. I made my presence known, “Ok so quickly give me a recap on what’s happened, and what we know about the dragon.”   
Nico started by telling me that it looks like an automaton, it has 5 heads, breaths fire, and has already hurt 6 campers. Percy continued and informed me that while it does not have any poison, it’s still not breached the magic boundary and Peleus is helping the Border Patrol to take it down, it’s putting up one heck of a fight.   
I acknowledged by bobbing my head to say I understood, “Ok, let’s go kill this dragon.” 

We ran from the cabins towards Thalia’s Pine and we heard the battle taking place from far away, and it did not seem to be going in our favor.   
I just hope Sherman Yang and his Border Patrol could hold them off for enough time.   
On the way I asked Nico if he could summon some skeletons to fight for us, he nodded and told me that he will do it as soon as we reach there.   
Then I thought up a plan and told them that I would wear my Yankees Cap and try to sneak up on the dragon from behind, while Nico and Percy would distract it.   
I would find a weak spot and hopefully get my sword down quick enough.   
They couldn’t think of anything better so they agreed with my plan even though I could see Percy wasn’t too keen on the plan.

And well it was working out, how it should’ve until the Dragon tensed and started rapidly heating up, I was in an awkward position since, I was not close enough to jump on it—I had found its soft spot around his heel, which seemed almost a way of mocking Achilles—but I was close enough to feel the heat, my skin started blistering and my body was starting to burn.   
I tried to run away when out of the blue, Half-Blood Hill started shaking, at that moment I thought we were feeling a minor earthquake tremor but when many small fracture and fissures were formed, I knew that it was either Nico or Percy.   
And I was right, because as abruptly as how the cracks appeared, that was how quickly the skeletons started climbing with their bony figures and water started spraying out in very tall geysers but the water was cool to the touch. Though I had started to feel light-headed, and a little dizzy.

Then out of the corner of my peripheral vision, I saw a miniature hurricane forming, I hope Di Immortales bless my Seaweed Brain.   
The water started surrounding me and cooling me down, it felt euphoric and helped me with my burns and singed clothes, but I knew that even after the cooling effect of the water on my skin, I would still need a lot of Medical Salve, Ambrosia and Nectar.  
The skeletons rushed to get me out of there, and Percy had surrounded the Automaton with water on all 4 sides, the dragon was not pleased and by the looks of it, the water was just annoying it and evaporating the moment it touched it’s skin. This would only tire out Percy and not do anything to help us. 

The skeletons took me next to Nico who looked extremely tired and paler than usual.   
I thanked him for saving me but he said it was all Percy. I did not accept that as an answer and said, “Nico, you sent those skeletons and Percy distracted the stupid dragon. It was a team effort.” He didn’t see any flaw in that logic so he smiled and reminded me that we still have a dragon to kill.  
I briefed him on my new plan, “Nico, can you get some more skeletons to distract the Dragon, I’ll go towards Percy and tell him to stop the hurricane because it is pointless, the dragon has too much heat energy on his scales. We need to throw one of our swords into its mouth when it roars, it’s either that or try to reach its heel, where it has no scales covering it.” 

Nico understood my plan and started summoning the skeletons. I ran to Percy and told him to stop his mini-hurricane and let the undead distract lizard-breath, he also understood that I had a plan and stopped all of the water.   
Percy then question, “Annabeth, whats the plan?” I told him about the dragons weak spots and he nodded, “So what are we throwing. We should throw Riptide right, it always comes back to me.”   
I shook my head and took out my Drakon-Bone sword, “No, we’ll throw my sword.”   
He asked me if I was sure about this, because it was a gift and he knew it was very valuable to me, I reassured him and when the Dragon opened it’s mouth to breath fire, (signified by its mouth steaming and turning a very hot shade of red)   
I threw my sword in and it went in perfectly, the dragon spluttered a little before crumbling into dust, it left behind my sword, it’s teeth and a few of its bones as the spoils of war.

All of us breath a collective sigh of relief, but I was still feeling light-headed. I saw the boys celebrating but I was having difficulty hearing and my vision was starting to blur.  
I had never fainted until this moment so I did not recognize the signs of fainting.   
When I woke up, Percy was standing over me and giving orders to get the Apollo Cabin here.   
I was still feeling very light-headed and in pain but I did not know why I was laying on a hill.  
I tried to sit up but winced in pain. Percy noticed me trying to sit up and he said gently, “Hey Annabeth, it’s ok, don’t try to get up. Nico went to get Will and the Apollo Cabin but you should not move from there.”

I was still confused on where I was, so I asked him “What happened Percy and why am I laying on this hill also why does my body feel like it’s on fire.”   
Percy reminded me, “Annabeth you passed out about a minute ago, we just killed a Dragon and you need to rest.” I nodded because I knew I wouldn’t be going anywhere with this much pain.

After about 10 minutes, Nico, Will and the Apollo cabin had arrived with medical supplies, I was relieved because the pain seemed to be getting worse.  
Will covered me in Medical Salve while Percy stepped aside and I knew he was mentally chewing himself out, so I had to tell himself to cut it out, “Seaweed Brain, it’s not your fault, you saved my life so stop worrying about it.” He smiled weakly. “Don’t count on it Wise Girl.”  
In a few minutes I was covered in salve and had the maximum amount of Ambrosia and Nectar I could eat without burning to a crisp.   
Will told us that I have to rest when I get back to camp but I’d still be fine after a few hours, so Percy got me up and rested me against his shoulders and we all walked back to camp. 

When Percy took me to my cabin and sat me on my bed, he told me not to scare him like that ever again, and I laughed and replied, “I did not really plan on getting burnt by a dragon.” He laughed but then apologized.   
When Malcolm entered their room, Percy got up and left but he promised me that he’d come later when I felt better.   
Malcolm asked me what happened and I parlayed the whole event as it was to him. He apologized over and over even though I was insistent that it was not his fault so I distracted him by inquiring about his part of the mission, “Ok Malcolm, let’s forget me for a moment. Did any other monsters try to attack camp while we were gone.” He shook his head.

I was pretty tired so I told him that I was going to try to catch some Z’s. He said ok and went to the library and started reading some books.   
The second my head hit the pillow, I was out cold. But then I woke up in a place which brought back a lot of bad memories, I was in Arachne’s Weaving Room where she kept the Athena Parthenos encased in her silk trap and from where I fell into Tartarus with Percy.   
A familiar voice spoke, it was dry, cold and evil. It was Tartarus.   
He laughed at me and mocked me, “Poor child of Athena, has your mother not warned you. I am the Pit. I am a Primordial. All the Olympian’s combined are not worth fighting me. I shall crush your puny world and make it the playground for all that represents Chaos.”   
I awoke drenched in sweat by the looks of the sun in the sky, setting from its highest point, I assumed the time to be around 2 to 3 o’clock.   
That means I was sleeping for 3 hours. I woke up and left the cabin, and the campers were having a mini riot it seemed. I walked towards Percy’s Cabin and when I spotted him, I walked towards him. 

He greeted me and asked me how I was feeling, “I’m feeling way better, most of the pain is gone. But why are all the campers so mad?”   
He made a sad face, “Well because of the Dragon attack, Chiron cancelled today’s Capture the Flag match. The morale for the campers was already very low and this just put the cherry on top.”  
He took a deep breath before continuing, “I was kind of waiting for you to wake up before I tried to stop them, you’re the better talker between us.” I smiled and told him to come along because we have a riot to stop.  
The riot was easier to stop more or less, but we had to promise them that we would ask Chiron if we could get something enriching to do otherwise they would literally go mad.  
We accepted their terms and made our way to the Big house.

Mr D. and Chiron were sitting on the Patio, playing Pinochle. When we got up to the Patio, Mr Dionysus got up, scowled at us and left.   
Chiron asked us, “Percy, Annabeth, so why are you both here.”  
I replied, “Well we just stopped a riot and the campers asked us to tell you that they want something fun, something to distract them from all what is happening.”   
Chiron nodded and added, “Yes we have been having difficulties these past few days, so it wouldn’t hurt to have something for the campers. I will think about it and get back to you both.” We thanked him and left 

We made our way to the Arena, and I challenged Percy. “How about a sparring session, Seaweed Brain?” He laughed and said that I am soooo on.  
After about a half an hour of that we started to walk again and made our way to the Beach and we spent the rest of our time till dinner talking by the beach, it was very peaceful.   
In the mess hall, Chiron announced a game of capture the flag for tomorrow night, the campers rejoiced.   
Percy and I had already decided we would do another reconnaissance of camp so after lights out we waited for another hour and met each other by Hestia’s Hearth.

I asked him, “So where are we patrolling tonight, Seaweed Brain?”   
He replied, “Let’s do a patrol of the border by Thalia’s Pine.” I agreed and said that would be a smart idea so we made our way to Thalia’s Pine.  
When we got there we were a little surprised to see the Hunters headed by Thalia and Reyna, accompanying Grover, Piper and a new kid

He was as almost as tall as Percy and had messy black hair that overflowed. His skin a warm fawn beige tone, that reminded me of the mellow-brown light which bathes the forest in Autumn.   
He wore a grin that reminded me a little of Leo but mostly of how we originally found Nico. His eyes were darting around as if he seemed very curious. They were a palette of colors from a nice honey shade of brown to a dark army green color dotted around. He waved at us and Grover introduced him.  
“Percy and Annabeth, this is Abdur.”


	7. Abdur

After my initial shock of traveling through a portal and learning I’m a half-blood. I thought of it as really cool. I mean being a hero, we’d all love that wouldn’t we.  
And when Grover told me that we’ve arrived in New York, I was more excited rather than scared. I mean I’ve just travelled 8 hours in the past.   
We had entered the portal at around 8:00 pm and we were now in the middle of the day.  
Thalia led us to a local park and said that were going to contact Reyna first. I nodded along as she created a mist and threw a golden coin inside of it and called out for Reyna.   
The mist started shifting and it showed Reyna with 9 more hunters. 

Thalia grinned and made herself known to Reyna, “Hey Ra-Ra, I need you and your group of hunters to meet us at the Old Westbury Gardens. We got Abdur here with us, he’s the half-blood we needed to find.” She pulled me into view.  
I waved, “Hey you’re Reyna right, I am so honored to meet you and Thalia and the hunters and Grover and Piper and pretty much anyone I’ve met. This is an Iris Message, am I right?”   
Reyna laughed, “Yes Abdur.”  
I mean in my defense while I did try to tone down my fanboy attitude, you would also be doing the same if you were in my position.

They discussed strategies, and after a while cut through the mist to break the connection.   
We rested up for a while and started making our way to camp Half-Blood, since we were walking there it took us a lot of hours, we did not face anything major on the way.   
It gave me time to think about who would claim me, I really wanted it to be either Hades, Poseidon or Athena. Call me biased but they were my favorite Olympians.  
When we reached Half-Blood hill it was scorched, I was confused so I asked, “Is Half-Blood hill normally this burnt?” All of them denied it.

Grover put out a possibility, “There could’ve been an attack.” I gulped and replied, “Let’s hope not.”  
Thalia interrupted, “Well if the thing that attacked is still alive, we should not wait for it to come eat us,” She then continued to point towards the ground and her pine, “The scorch marks don’t go in through the magic boundary, that means the boundary worked and did not allow whatever it was to enter.”   
The logic seemed foolproof so we all nodded and entered camp, and right as we entered, we saw a boy and girl walking around, and by the looks on their face, they were not expecting hunters accompanying a satyr and 2 half-bloods.

Grover introduced me, and I was trying very hard to be professional and not act like a fanboy so I awkwardly waved.   
The girl had blonde hair with intense gray eyes, I presumed her to be Annabeth, which meant the boy was Percy.  
Annabeth broke the silence, “Grover, Thalia, Reyna, Piper, we were waiting for you all very anxiously.”   
Then she looked at me as if she was studying me with her intense gray eyes, “And who are you?”  
“I’m Abdur.” I replied and informed her before she spoke with a confident tone.  
“We should go to Chiron.”  
Thalia agreed, “Yes we should. Lilac, please lead the other hunters to Artemis’ cabin.” Lilac nodded and took the other hunters towards the center of the camp where I presumed the cabins would be.

Reyna then said, “Percy, Annabeth, It’s been a long time since we last met. But I’m afraid we have a lot of serious problems on our hands.”   
Thalia become pale, nodded then continued, “The monsters are becoming stronger and some of the monster we are facing are those which we haven’t seen for decades.”   
As we started walking, I broke of to the front where Percy was, and I greeted him, “Hey Percy, I just wanted to say thank you to you and Annabeth for saving the world twice.” They both laughed and then Percy replied, “Hey don’t mention it.” 

Annabeth smiled and then said, “I’m gonna go and talk to Reyna and Thalia, it seems as if you have a fan here Percy. Be nice you both.” Me and Percy laughed.   
I admitted that I was a big fan of his and I asked him if he could show me Riptide, he took out his ballpoint pen and uncapped it.   
It turned into a 3 feet long Xiphos, with a beautiful light bronze glow to it. I might’ve been staring a little too long because Percy laughed and asked me if I wanted to hold it, I stuttered, “Uhmmmm....I mean I would really like to but are you sure.”   
Percy must’ve seen something in me that reminded him of his self because he laughed and said, “Sure Abdur just try not to kill any of us.”   
Then he handed me the sword. It still didn’t feel any more balanced than the first one I used to kill an Empusa.  
I asked Percy while swinging Riptide around, “I mean I have read your books but besides the books, how would you describe your first few days.”  
He recounted his adventures in the shortest way possible, “I mean it was very scary to start off with but I also felt proud in a way, or I even felt responsible.”  
He continued by asking me how I was holding up and asking about my story, I respected and trusted him a lot so I told him my whole story since the start of the year. He was a very good listener.

By the time I was done, he looked a little impressed and complimented me for being so cool about it but then he joked that I didn’t have to face a fury.   
I laughed and shot back in a playful manner, “Hey I had to face a cursed Empusa.”   
We continued to laugh and in no time, we had made it to the big house. All of us entered and made it to Chiron’s Room.   
He greeted us all warmly and thanked Grover, Thalia, Reyna and Piper for getting me here safely.

Then he let the cat out of the bag, “Now Abdur I do apologize for the questions, Grover was not allowed to answer. I forbid him because it would only be safe here.”   
I did not like the sound of that but I still nodded solemnly. “Now you can ask any question you want.”   
I was relieved, “Ok so my first question is what does Grover mean when he says that I’m different even for a half-blood.”   
Chiron simple replied back to me, “Well Abdur as you might know you are completely mortal, but you were given your powers by one of the Olympian’s, we will only know who it is when you are claimed. So you are technically a Champion rather than a pure half blood.” 

My head starting feeling very heavy and I felt like I was about to vomit but I steadied myself for my second question. “I was near a pit in my dreams, someone talked to me. Who was it?” Chiron did not look prepared for that, he gulped, “Well....it’s Tartarus.”   
I started to comprehend and accept that, so I asked my final question, “When would I be claimed? We’ve got a world to save haven’t we.” Chiron and the rest of the group seemed impressed by my show of courage, even though I was very scared from the inside.  
Chiron smiled at me and said, “You’re 15 if I am correct, that means that you should get claimed pretty soon. But for now I think that’s enough information for now, we have got a very big day tomorrow, the Hunters vs Cmaoers in capture the flag. I want all of you to be well rested, Percy and Annabeth please take them all to their respective cabins.”

We all started making our way back to the cabins, Reyna and Thalia went to Artemis’ cabin, Piper made her way to Aphrodite’s.  
Percy and Annabeth dropped me off at Hermes cabins, and they gave me a warning to not let my guard lose with those Hermes kids. I laughed and thanked them.  
I went and found an empty bunk to lay on, naturally sleep did not come to me, I twisted and turned for a while, and just when it seemed I would have a sleepless night. I passed out cold. 

I awoke to 3 people looking over me, they were probably thinking if I was worth stealing from. I yawned and said in a groggy tone, “I’m new and I have nothing worth stealing.”   
They all frowned and started waking off when a boy taller than the rest appeared, he introduced himself as Connor Stoll, the head counselor of the Hermes cabin, he told me I better get up if I want breakfast.   
My stomach grumbled at the word breakfast so I nodded and asked him if he could tell me where the showers were.   
He said sure and took me there. I freshened up and went to the mess hall, where whatever we wanted to eat could appear. I had the best and fluffiest omelette of my life with a toast and some strong tea. 

After breakfast, when all of the campers started leaving, Percy and Annabeth came to me and told Conner—who was standing next to me—that they would be borrowing me for the day, to give me an all access tour and get my weapon picked out for capture the flag.   
Connor shrugged and told me to go along with them. I happily obliged. We took our time walking, Percy asked me first, “So how’s camp so far.” I smiled and said that I’m loving it.   
They told me that normally the first lesson is an hours worth of sword fighting and training, so we’re going to the armory to get you a weapon.   
I was excited and it showed because Annabeth laughed and told me, “You look like Percy when he was about to get a sword.”   
He laughed and replied, “Hey no fair, it is exciting getting a weapon and it might give some insight into your patron.” I nodded. I was enjoying my time with them, I felt like I was part of a new family.   
I asked them when we approached the armory, “Is it true that the hunters have won for the last 56 times.” They nodded glumly. I tried to cheer them up, “Hey we’ll win this time, besides I have a plan.”

They asked me to elaborate so I continued, “If I recall correctly, then magic items are allowed but the rules state that only 2 guards can defend the flag right.”   
Percy nodded and made a hand gesture to say go forward. “So that means there is no rule prohibiting us to have skeletons around the flag, so that’s our defense done.”   
Annabeth and Percy were both smiling at me, “Abdur that’s a plan worthy of the Hermes Cabins.”   
I laughed and added, “Or Athena, because that took a lot of mind to think of.”   
Annabeth then reminded me, “But what about the offensive plan.” I grinned as if to say that I’ve got it covered.

I established the final part, “Well I can guarantee one thing, Thalia will be coming for our flag with the main team, we don’t need to capture her and I don’t think it will be easy to capture her. We have to distract her for long enough so that one of the people in our offensive units can go and capture the flag. I think Connor can do a perfect job of distraction.” 

Percy smiled and said, “Abdur if we win this game, then I will make sure you’re allowed to stay with me in Poseidon’s cabin.” I laughed and thanked him.  
I reminded them that I still needed a weapon, so we finally entered the armory. It was overwhelming to say the least, so many weapons and a lot of them probably had their own story to them.  
Percy then continued by asking me, “So Abdur what type of weapon you think you would be good with. Take your time to think about it.”

I was very confused so I was grateful Annabeth started breaking it down for me, “Well Abdur let’s start with a simple question, do you prefer ranged or melee combat.”   
“I prefer melee combat.”  
She replied, “Good that’s good, now would you describe yourself as more of a faster agile person or someone who has more of arm strength.”   
The answer came to me easily, “I think I have more arm strength then agility or speed.” 

Annabeth narrowed down my option and gave me her opinion, “I think a sword would be perfect for you.” She then took a couple of swords and took us to the Arena.   
Nico and Will were there with the rest of the campers, Nico noticed me so he came over to us and asked me, “You must be the new kid Abdur.”   
Internally I shrieked, I was meeting my favorite character, who is also a real person.   
I answered, “Nico I’m you’re biggest fan-I mean yes I’m Abdur.” Everyone started laughing.  
Nico replied, “I already like this kid. So you’re getting an all access tour.” I nodded, “And this is when you get to pick a weapon.” I smiled and nodded again.  
He smiled back and asked Percy and Annabeth, “I hope you guys don’t mind if I stay here and watch.”   
They replied at the same time, “No problem here.” 

I tried all of the sword but none of them seemed suited or balanced for me, there were different types of swords as well but the closest I felt to something suitable was Riptide but even it was a little lopsided. (Hey call me picky but I don’t want to die because my sword slipped out of my hand.) 

I picked up a random Xiphos sword from the barrel of swords and tried it on some straw figures, they were easy enough to take out.  
I asked them if I could get a real life partner, “Hey could I spar with someone who is a real person. How about Percy?”  
He seemed uneasy about my suggestion, “Abdur..are you sure?”  
I was insistent and eventually he let in but made sure that it would be a friendly sparring match.  
I agreed with him and we started off with him being in complete control but I was a really fast learner. He tried a disarming technique on me. I evaded it barely.  
Just when it seemed like I survived and we would be equal and call it a tie. I decided to try the same disarming technique which he had tried.  
And it did work partially, because both our swords flew the opposite directions. We both looked shocked but then laughed.

We all had a few more laughs before moving on to the archery course with Chiron. Percy told me, “Hey Abdur no hard feelings ok, it was fun sparring with you.” I smiled and felt honored  
The rest of the day went by getting me accustomed to the different courses and lessons and by 5:30 I was dropped off at the Hermes Cabin where I was told to get ready for capture the flag in half an hour.

By 6:00 everyone was assembled outside the mess hall and Mr. D announced all the rules.  
1\. It will be campers vs hunters.  
2\. Zephyros Creek is the boundary line.  
3\. Magic items are allowed.  
4\. No killing or maiming.  
5\. Prisoners are not allowed to be gagged but may be unarmed.  
6\. Teams of 20 vs 20.

Percy and Annabeth came over and told me that I got picked for the team, I was so happy that I got picked.  
They said that they would be using my strategies and they needed me with Connor as the distraction, I happily said ok.   
The plan was working Nico summoned a lot of skeletons and made sure they were around the flag, when Thalia and a small group of hunters got near our post, we started trying to hold them back but woah were they very good fighters   
I just hoped that the skeletons would hold up and Percy would make it there quick enough.  
One of the hunters was about to take us to the jail when we heard a cheer of joy come from our side of the creek, me and Connor understood what happened and laughed, “We’ve won.”   
Thalia was in disbelief and shock but she let that go and smiled. The conch horn was sounded signifying the end of the game.

We ran towards the creek were Percy and Annabeth were standing with the red flag, they came over and jokingly told Thalia that it’s 56-1 now.   
They started thanking me for the strategy. We all made our way to the mess hall besides the hunters since they decided to leave.   
Percy announced that I was crucial for their win and everyone started cheering for me.   
After having dinner we made our way to the campfire where it was leaping highly and burning a very beautiful and royal shade of gold.   
The Apollo Cabin was singing Down by the Aegean and everyone was having a great time.  
  
All of that changed when a big fat women emerged from the tree line, her eyes were sideways slits like a snakes, she had a forked tongue with fangs protruding outwards rather than teeth.   
Her skin was a bright color of green which reminded me of poison, her skin was scaly and she was laughing at us crazily.  
Percy hissed at her, “You but how did you get past the magic boundary, it’s supposed to keep creatures like you out.”  
She laughed back at him, “Do not worry Jackson I’m not here for you, I’m here for him.” She said as she pointed at me. My heart skipped a beat and my blood started freezing.   
I felt cornered. The stupid snake lady continued, “As for your magic boundaries, it’s meant for stray monsters and to stop the odd passerby from seeing anything inside, it cannot handle me for I am the mother of monsters, the terrible Echidna.”   
I remembered reading about her and out of spite I spit back, “Miss Anteater lady, where’s your stupid Chihuahua.”   
She got angrier and shot back at me, “Oh puny demigod, had my master not reserved you, I would’ve flayed you for that remark. Oh and sonny’s right with me.” The forest started shaking behind her and The Chimera appeared.   
She hissed, “I will feast on half-bloods tonight and you shall see your world get enveloped into darkness. TARTARUS. WILL. RISE.

The Chimera had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, a blood-caked mane, and a ten-foot-long diamondback snake-headed tail which grew out of it’s shaggy behind.   
I was petrified like most campers but I joined ranks with Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Will and Chiron towards the front.   
I screamed, “So do we have any plan?” All of them stayed quiet until Annabeth pointed out that Bellerophon only killed it with Pegasus and a lead ball.   
I notified them of the fact that we have BlackJack and we can pick up any other rock and make the goat head swallow it.

So we had a plan and now we needed to execute it, so I told them we had to split up. Nico, Will, Chiron and I would distract the Chimera and Miss lizard face while Percy and Annabeth should go get BlackJack. 

We agreed but what happened next only an ADHD demigod could understand because a volley of arrows got fired from the tree lines, the Chimera charged at us, so we rushed forward.   
The arrows shot and injured Echidna so I broke off from my charge to finish the job, that part was easy enough but the snake head was loyal to his ugly mother so when my back was turned. It took its opportunity and it bit me then it started shaking me in it’s mouth.   
I felt my life force was being wringed like I was a cloth that was too wet. I was about to give up and let the monster eat me before a supersonic sound whistled through the air.  
The monster was distracted for a few seconds, it was enough time for me to pry myself free, then it started breaking down and turning into dust after a rock was thrown into the goat‘s gullet by BlackJack.  
I did not remember anything that happened afterwards but I was told that I fainted and everyone was confused before Nico screamed at everyone to get away from me.  
Everyone was shocked and confused because it was clear that I needed medical aid but they respected and feared him enough to follow.   
Then ghost started rising out of the land and floated towards of me, and each ghost took a part of itself and put it on me.  
After that, a dozen skeletons rose from the ground, made a semi circle around me and bowed.  
  
After a few minutes, I woke up to everyone looking shocked and horrified like I just killed the Mother of Monsters and they were bowing down.  
There was black smoke rising and curling around me from the ground and Nico was smiling at me.  
I noticed a faint purple glow above my head. There was a helmet above my head, it was pure black like Nico’s Sword. I recalled it as the Helm of Darkness. I was getting claimed.  
“Hades,’ said Chiron. ‘The Unseen, The Wealthy One, King of the Dead. Hail, Abdur, Champion of the Lord of the Underworld.”   
A lot of thoughts were going through my mind. I mean I was honored, flattered and happy because my patron is Hades, one of my favorite Olympian’s.   
But I was also thinking of how Nico got rejected by the other campers for some while even after the war, he was responsible for basically saving Olympus in a way.   
By the looks on the campers face’s, I felt as if they had already decided to stay away from me, I started feeling broken from the inside.   
If this is even half of what Nico felt, then I had a newfound respect for him. Something I read that Nico had said came to mind.   
“Really? That would be a first. I'm the son of Hades, Jason. I might as well be covered in blood or sewage, the way people treat me. I don't belong anywhere.”

Nico took one glance at me and understood what I was going through because he came forward and announced, “He is my brother, and I hope no one has any objections or problems with that.” Everyone was murmuring but no one said anything.  
Then Percy, Annabeth, Piper and Will stepped forward. Percy spoke for them, “I do not care if he is a champion of Hades or a champion of Athena. He is my friend and I will support him.”  
It warmed me to my core, I have friends, I have a new family. Everyone had calmed down and accepted the fact that they had another son of Hades with them.   
Chiron then asked everyone to disperse as that was enough excitement for 1 day.

As everyone was leaving I started thanking my friends profusely, “Guys thank you but you know you did not have to stand up for me,’ I faltered. ‘I mean risking your friendship with the other campers for a newbie.”   
Nico stopped me from saying more by interrupting, “Hey you’re my brother, and I’m going to protect you, even if the whole world is against you.” I started tearing up a little.   
Piper added, “Hey don’t forget us.” I laughed and added, “I’m seriously so grateful for all of you. You guys are the best of friends.”   
Percy told me, “Hey stop that, or I’ll start tearing up. And you do not want me tearing up.”  
We all were laughing when Chiron came to us and said, “We must consult the Oracle of Delphi tomorrow, and I sincerely apologize for how the campers treated you today.” I told him that it isn’t his fault and he should not apologize.

We started making our way to the cabins, everyone split off towards there cabins and I walked with Nico to Cabin 13.   
On the way I tried to express my happiness, “Hey Nico, I don’t know if any ones ever said this to you but you’re the best half-brother I could’ve asked for.”  
He seemed shocked at that because for a few seconds he stopped walking then continued onwards and quietly thanked me.   
I meant it and I hope he understood that but to get my point across, I hugged him. “Nico I mean it.”   
He seemed to like my gesture because he ruffled my hair a little and said that he’s still the bigger brother. I laughed and denied it but then when compared he was 4 months older than me so I accepted it.  
The cabin looked exactly like how it was described in the books, the walls were made of pure obsidian, they were a very dark shade of purple-black. There was also a skull hanging on top of the door.   
There were torches burning Greek Fire which was a swirling ball of green, it looked very powerful and from what I’ve read, it could easily burn camp down if misused so I felt a little better for them trusting the Hades Cabin to have it.  
The only bad thing was that there were no windows, but I wouldn’t let that bring me down.

As I entered, I felt more astonished because even though each cabin was big enough to accommodate 20 people there were only 2 beds. I assumed the other one was for Hazel if she ever visited.  
The beds were shaped like coffins, hey we’re sons of Hades not Empusa. I felt that was in very bad taste and don’t think Nico had asked for that design. (But the way I wake up in the morning, I probably look like a vampire)  
The beds were of a mahogany frame with brass railings, the pillows and sheet were blood red in color and made out of a velvety material.   
Toward the end of the cabin, there was a mini shrine with bones and valuable jewels inside it.   
Nico told me I could take the bed on the right since that was the unoccupied one, I nodded and told him that I love the rooms design but it should have windows.   
He laughed and said that we will work on that after we save the world from Tartarus. How could I have forgotten about the reason I was here.   
We wished each other good night and went to bed.   
I found myself in a nightmare. I was standing near a riverbank, and a ferry was crossing the river toward the side I was standing on. All the riders in the ferry were shimmering and were translucent.   
I recognized it as Charon’s Ferry which would mean I was on the riverbank of the Styx.   
But the kingdom around me looked weaker than I would have imagined, like it was under attack or something likewise. There were ghosts in battle armor running around.

I was beyond freaked out and when a old grandma with bat wings flew down from a poplar tree and stood by my side, it did not help me become less scared.   
The grandma introduced herself as Alecto the leader of the Furies. I nodded along with respect.  
She then continued, “Master Hades wants you and your group to go west, he said he has a gift for you and it would really be easier to fight Tartarus while he is weak.”  
I asked her a question, “Why has Mr. Hades not appeared yet? Shouldn’t he have come to explain?”  
She laughed at me as if I said a joke, “Don’t you know half-blood, a God is not allowed to directly act in mortal affairs or quests. He was barely allowed to send me.”  
I was suddenly very unimpressed, “Oh.”   
She then said, “Well it is time to wake up now, remember my warning because you will need it.”

I woke up to the alarm clock blaring and Nico looking like someone who hated having to wake up.   
I laughed and joked, “Guess they gave us the right type of bed. We both are vampires.”   
He laughed along and then told me, “Hey Abdur your clothes got ripped but I have some spares in the closet that look like they may be your size so if you want them, feel free to take them.”  
My heart warmed up, and I stuttered out, “Thanks a lot Nico. Also there’s something you should now.” I recounted my dream to him, giving each detail about how the kingdom was looking weak, and what Alecto told me.

He nodded and said that I should change up and at breakfast we will go to Chiron and explain ourselves. He will probably issue us a quest.  
I nodded and started walking off to the bathrooms when I glanced at the shrine to see a backpack sitting near the jewels.  
“Hey Nico, is this your backpack in the shrine? I didn’t see it last night thought.”   
He perked up and walked towards the shrine and told me that that’s not his. We still opened it and there was a letter that read, “Gift from Hades to Cabin 13. Courtesy Hermes Express.”   
There was a Caduceus with the words Hermes Express printed on the top right of the letter. We put it aside and delved in, there was a wad of mortal cash which we counted up to 2500$ and there were about 25 Golden Drachmas as well. 

And finally I pulled out a 3 foot Falcata sword out of the bag. It was made from pure Stygian Iron and it was as dark as pure nightmares.   
On top of it was a piece of paper which read, “My Champion, this is a sword I got made for you, it’s pure Stygian Iron and it matches Nico’s sword. From Hades.”   
I was flattered, “Guess this is what Alecto was talking about. I mean now we’re sword buddies, we have matching swords.” We both laughed and he prodded me to try it out.   
I took it in my hand and for the first time, a sword felt perfectly balanced. Like it was meant for me and made for me. I swung it around a few times and grinned at Nico, “I found my sword.” 

I then left my sword and went to the washroom to change my clothes. The shirt was a plain black T-Shirt with a simple skull design in the middle and the jeans were black in color.   
There was also a brown aviators jacket which complimented my jet black glasses. All the clothes fit me very well.   
I left the bathroom and exclaimed, “Tada so how do I look?” He smiled at me and said I look perfect and he apologized for the limited choice of clothing.  
I scolded him in a friendly manner, “Nico do not apologize plus I love this style, it suits me perfectly.” He smiled at me again and I was so happy to be a part of this family.  
We made our way to the mess hall and sat at the Hades table. My mind was very cluttered and my breakfast represented that, it was a mix of boiled, fried and scrambled egg. I didn’t eat much because my appetite was lost.   
After breakfast was dismissed, Nico and I made our way to Chiron’s table when Sherman Yang interrupted us.   
“Ok Abdur you think you can come here at Camp, get claimed by one of the big 3 and become famous because you’re important. And people like me who do work are forgotten. NO so we are going to have a duel in the arena at noon.’ He pointed at my sword. ‘You can bring your little toy-   
Nico interrupted him and pointed his sword at Sherman, “Now Sherman we’re going to be smart and considerate otherwise things might not be so pretty.”   
Sherman sneered, “Stay out of this Di Angelo, or do you really want to protect him and fight the Ares Cabin. We will easily pummel you both.” He laughed uglily.

I had enough, “Sherman shut up, do not say anything to Nico. Oh and this ‘toy’ is Stygian Iron, cooled in the river Styx. And for your little duel. I accept, just be ready to lose.” He snickered and started leaving.  
Nico warned me, “Abdur while that was a brave thing to do, I don’t think it is wise to fight Sherman Yang, even though I hate to admit it, Sherman is one of our best fighters.”  
I nodded and simply replied, “No one disses my brother like that and expects to get away with it. Don’t worry about the fight, I’ll think of something but for now we have to go to Chiron.”   
He seemed skeptical but we still continued ahead to Chiron who was talking to Katie Gardner, we waited for them to finish talking and a few minutes later she left.  
  
We walked ahead to Chiron who greeted us, “Good Morning Nico and Abdur, how are you both doing?” We said that we were doing fine but has something very important to tell him, and I started telling him my dreams and the backpack we got from Hades.  
Our instructor was a very good listener and after we were finished, he was quiet for a few seconds before he finally said, “Abdur you must visit the Oracle and receive a prophecy.”   
I gulped, “Are you sure Chiron? I mean there is Nico, Percy, Annabeth, Piper and so many more qualified half-bloods.”  
Chiron shook his head, “I am sure it is supposed to be you, all our dreams and visions said that the Champion of Olympus will be the one to receive the prophecy.”  
Nico added, “Abdur he is right, you are as strong as any of the other half-bloods plus you killed the Mother of Monsters, even Percy wasn’t able to do it.”  
I started feeling much better and nodded, “Ok I will go to the Oracle’s Cave and receive my prophecy but can I at least get Nico to guide me there, I don’t know my way around.”   
Chiron laughed, “Sure but please Abdur you are the one to receive the prophecy.  
Me and Nico walked in complete, comfortable silence to the Cavern of the Oracle. Right before I went inside Nico gave me a important piece of advice.  
“Abdur remember the correct wording for the prophecy, they are very important regarding the outcome.” I nodded and thanked him then entered the cavern.  
  
The cave was a little creepy but mostly seemed nice and comfortable, most of the walls were covered with white paint but towards the table near the back end of the cave, there were different paintings of events which have happened including the Rise of Gaia.   
The entrance also had velvet curtains blocking it, probably to have privacy with the person receiving the prophecy.  
Rachel welcomed me, “Hey you must be the new kid, I’m Rachel Elizabeth Dare, or just call me Red. What’s your name?”  
I replied back, “Well my name is Abdur, and Chiron sent me here to receive a prophecy. You probably know that Tartarus is rising.”  
She nodded gravely and sat down on the chair, “I’m sorry that you’re coming to camp at a very bad time, morale is very low and everyone is at each other’s necks. Did you get claimed yet?”  
I nodded and said, “Yes I’m a champion of Hades.” She nodded but did not show any negative reaction like some of the other campers.  
“Well I’m sorry if they’ve done anything bad to you, a lot of people just cannot accept children of Hades.” I was thankful that she was very understanding.  
Then all of a sudden, green smoke started spewing out of her mouth and she spoke in a different more ancient tone.

“Ten Half-Bloods shall plunge into darkness  
Son of the sea and daughter of wisdom to lead with starkness  
Children of Hades to meet their fate  
The legacy of Neptune to dictate  
The eternal flame and once cursed to light the way  
Only combined shall there be a ray  
A single mistake to bring the world to raze  
And then they shall see everything in a haze  
A sacrifice must be reserved  
Then only, Olympus to be preserved”

The smoke stopped flowing and she spoke in her regular tone, “What just happened?”  
She must’ve seen the look of fear on my face, “I told the prophecy, didn’t I? Could you repeat it?”  
I repeated the project for her before she nodded, “Well you can leave, I need some time.”  
Wanting to respect her privacy, I nodded and then started walking out of the cavern.  
I was in a state of shock, I mean there has to be a sacrifice for Olympus to be preserved, a single mistake will raze the world and we shall see the world in a haze.   
This was too much to take in. I knew Chiron and the others would be able to understand it better.  
I left the cavern and saw Nico waiting for me anxiously, the moment I had left the cave he told me to repeat the prophecy for him.   
I looked around just to make sure that there was no one else listening then I repeated the prophecy and by each line, Nico started looks worse.   
By the time I had finished reciting the prophecy, he looked as pale as a ghost. 

He told me that we should go to Chiron now and tell him the prophecy so we can figure out who is going to go on this quest. I agreed with him and we set off for the big house.   
Chiron was sitting on the porch with Mr. D, who I recognized by the Potbelly and can of Diet Coke. We approached them and Mr. D scowled at me but seemed even more upset at Nico and acknowledged him, “Di Angelo.”  
Nico replied back scornfully, “Mr. Dionysus.” I sensed a lot of enmity between them and I did not want anyone saying anything to Nico nor did I want him to be turned into a dolphin so I stepped between them.  
“Mr. Dionysus, I have received a prophecy and would like to tell it to Chiron so if you do not want to listen to it then we can move inside or elsewhere.” I said with a little spite in my tone because no one talks to my brother like that.  
He glared at me like I had just punched him, his eyes started glistening and flaming up into a hue of purple that reminded me of grapes.   
He said with hatred seething out of his tone, “I commend your bravery kid but next time you talk to me like that.” He snapped his fingers and I fell to the ground with a loud thud.   
My insides felt like they were crushed and pressed into a fine juice or wine. Was he turning me into wine?  
I turned and looked over at Nico who had tensed and kept his hand on his sword, I weakly shook my head and he knelt by my side. Chiron spoke up, “Mr. D, it was an honest mistake from the kid, please forgive him.”  
The wine god seemed unimpressed but still snapped his fingers and I felt better, “Kid trust me you do not want me as an enemy.” He warned me and walked back into the big house.   
I sat upright and thanked Chiron and told him that the prophecy has arrived. He nodded along gravely and took us into his room which was covered in celestial bronze.

He asked me to start reciting the prophecy but to stop at every 2 lines so we can interpret it and then continue, I agreed and mentioned that it would be a smart idea and started.

“Ten Half-Bloods shall plunge into darkness  
Son of the sea and daughter of wisdom to lead with starkness”

Nico added after I was finished speaking, “The darkness could be referring to Erebos the walls of my dads palace. Or it could mean the underworld itself since it was darkness before.”  
I agreed with him and further explained, “And well son of the sea is Percy, isn’t he?,’ I asked but it was a rhetorical question. ‘Daughter of wisdom is Annabeth but why would they lead with starkness.”   
Nico shrugged as if to say that he had no idea. Chiron prodded me to continue.  
  
“Children of Hades to meet their fate  
The legacy of Neptune to dictate”

I become a little nauseous thinking about the first line, me and Nico would have to meet our fate. What does that even mean?  
Nico looked as worried as me and we both were quietly staring at Chiron who spoke, “Well you both might have to meet your fate, but remember that prophecies are always confusing so it might not be literal.”   
I nodded uneasily and then continued, “Neptune is the Roman version of Poseidon. And isn’t Frank a legacy of Neptune?”  
Nico replied back, “Yes Frank makes the most sense as a legacy of Neptune, I don’t know many others who are a legacy of Neptune.”  
Chiron was starting to look a little more confused but he still asked me to continue.

“The eternal flame and once cursed to light the way  
Only combined shall there be a ray”

We all stood there in complete silence because none of us understood this part until I put two and two together and it started making a lot of sense to me.   
I pointed out, “What if the prophecy means we have to try to get the half-bloods in the prophecy of seven together with the addition of 3 more?”  
Nico agreed with me, “I think you’re right Abdur but unfortunately we....lost....Jason so that means one of us is in his place.”  
I nodded and then further explained, “If we are correct then that means the eternal flame is Leo and once cursed is Calypso.”   
Nico was in complete agreement with me and Chiron had also understood what was happening so he asked me to continue along.

“A single mistake to bring the world to raze  
And then they shall see everything in a haze”

My stomach started churning at the thought of the world becoming razed or seeing everything in a haze.   
Chiron had a very grave look on his face and announced, “This is worse than I thought. I understand this part...it’s quite literal. Normally a few mistakes are always made when you are on a quest but this time any mistake will destroy the world.”  
Nico looked as bad as I felt but he still inquired, “But Chiron what does seeing the world in a haze mean.”  
Chiron shook his head and apologized, “I think that part is something that can only be understood when it happens but let’s hope we do not have to experience that.”  
I made a mental note to try not to make a mistake. Hey what can I say I’m very impulsive.   
After a little more silence, I decided that we should probably continue with the last part of the prophecy, which was also my least favorite.

“A sacrifice must be reserved  
Then only, Olympus to be preserved”

The only good thing that came out of the final stretch of the prophecy is that it ended. We all knew that someone would die but here it was confirmed as if the spirit of Delphi has just decided and said that we have to make a choice.  
I would never be able to make a choice and the fates knew it, I just hope that my indecisiveness would not kill us all.   
Nico concluded, “So we know what we have to do, and we are sure that me, Abdur, Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Calypso, Frank and Hazel have to go. That still leaves one person and the prophecy did not specify who it was.”  
We looked at each other before Chiron decided, “Both of you can choose a Half-Blood of your choice.”  
Chiron simply stated, “I want you both to get prepared, pack everything that could be useful and by 3 o’clock today, Argus will drop all of you at the nearest bus station.”  
He sighed and looked like his only ambition for life was being crushed in front of him. “I am sorry Abdur for how little I could train you, but I need you to get Percy, Annabeth, Piper and one camper of your choice to take on the quest.” We both nodded and said that we would be right on it.  
  
As we were walking to the arena where all the campers would probably be having their combat training classes. I decided to ask him who he thinks we should take along.   
I personally felt we should take along Will Solace because someone who could help us not only heal but have a super sonic whistle that would disorientate enemies is someone that could help us.   
Nico agreed with me but he seemed a little uneasy about it as well. I did not want him to feel bad so I told him that I was open to suggestions but I did not feel that anyone else would be willing to come along.   
When we reached the arena we noticed that there was a huge commotion going on. With everything that was going on, it did not seem ideal that the campers were having problems.   
I spotted Percy and Annabeth near the middle trying to keep everyone calm and fortunately they were doing a pretty good job. I gestured to Nico that we should probably make our way there. He nodded and we ran to them.  
Percy noticed me and asked with a little confusion in his tone, “Abdur what were you thinking by challenging Sherman to a duel, he is one of the best fighters here.”  
I replied nonchalantly, “Well I didn’t really challenge him, I was challenged and accepted but we have more serious problems than that.”  
Right as I said that Piper had made her way and was Charm Speaking the campers into stoping the fight, and it was really working because as it rolled over me, I also wanted to just throw my sword.

Everyone started walking off to do their own thing when I started explaining everything that happened and would happen including the prophecy to Percy, Annabeth, Piper and Will.   
They all seemed a little frightened but knew that this would happen sooner or later so they agreed to go now and start getting all the things that they would need.   
We shared a laugh when Percy complimented my sword by telling me that it’s already giving him nightmares.  
That helped settle my nerves but they got frayed again when Sherman who was behind me coughed and said, “So what do we have here, the new kid gets a prophecy,”  
I growled at him, “What’s your problem Sherman, what did I do to you. I mean seriously don’t you have something important to do.”  
He spit back, “Well let’s see we have another Child of Hades with us, if that is not a curse then I don’t know what is.”  
I knew people were thinking that but hearing it out loud was a completely different feeling.  
Then he laughed with malice and said, “I have a great idea, we were going to have our little battle at noon, why don’t we have it now?”   
  
Admittedly that was a really smart move from Sherman because he had me cornered and he knew if I backed out from the duel now, the campers will question me and the fact that I would be partially leading the quest.   
So I knew I had to accept and I wasn’t really keen on fighting one of the camps best warrior, especially one that could have Are’s Blessing.  
I looked at my friends and there body language was telling me that this was completely my choice, Nico looked like he wanted to jump in and just hit Sherman but he knew better than that.  
I reluctantly accepted so he told the Ares cabin to bring all the campers as spectators and to get his weapons which was also his magic item. (I learned that the hard way)  
The rules were very simple; No killing, Magic Items are allowed. I figured it would be pretty easy to follow for me but I really hoped that the bonehead understood rule 1.

Nico came up to me and said that I was due an explanation, “Abdur I’m not sure if you know this but Stygian Iron is very rare, the only weapons that I know made from it are: My sword, Hades Sword and your sword.”  
I nodded and continued for him, “It’s very rare because it is cooled in the River Styx which is very hard to do.”  
He bobbed his head, “Yes and Stygian Iron is considered as a magic time because only Children of Hades can wield it, any other demigod that tries will burn into a flame and their essence will get consumed by the sword.”   
I did not know that and was starting to respect the material more by the second.  
He then continued to add, “Abdur, with the sword you can channel your powers over the dead, you can summon larger amounts without getting tired but you have to be careful with it because it can kill mortals as well. But if you kill a monster with it, they do not reform.”  
And this sword was officially my favorite thing ever. I thanked Nico and told them that I would win the battle.

If you saw how the campers were standing, it would not seem to special but everyone was standing behind Sherman, it must’ve meant that they had their money on him besides my friends who were standing behind me and rooting for me. (Bless their souls)  
The fight started when Connor screamed, “Commence.” And I understood that without my sword I would’ve been heavily outmatched because with his spear, he was almost as good as Percy with Riptide.   
He was making me keep a steady distance from him with his spear, and consistently getting in small jabs, I understood that his strategy was to try to kill me with a thousand cuts. (But literally)   
I was not getting any opportunity to go in for a slash, so I decided to channel and use my abilities as a champion of Hades. I pointed my sword at the ground and shouted at the top of my lungs, “Serve Me.” 

The moment I had spoke those words, everything became clear to me. I realized the true extent of my powers, I didn’t see it but I knew that all the powers Nico had, I would also have.   
The ground cracked from where I had pointed my sword and 3 skeletons came out.  
They started to swarm Sherman’s spear and tried to yank it away from him, only to get hit with lightning. They crumbled into dust but I was rejuvenated, I attacked with a different ferocity, the power of Hades was flowing through me.  
I slashed at his spear and he hit me with it and connected. I got hit with a bolt of lightning and was throw back a few feet, I was very dazed and Sherman was going to take advantage of that.

He stood over me but he hesitated to smile at me and I swear, his eyes glistened a golden color. He wanted to kill me surely but more so he wanted the campers to be afraid of him.   
I realized that his fatal flaw was wanting everyone to either respect him or fear him. But most importantly he wanted everyone to know him, no matter what it took.  
Right when he was about to impale me, I rolled to my side and sliced the spear straight down.   
It got cut into halves and he stood their looking at me shocked. I decided I would not be like him and I would used my situation to my advantage.  
I knocked him down and kept my sword pointed at his neck, I laughed and told him that the battles over and I’ve won.  
He looked very angry but my friends came to my side and warned him that the duels over and he should go away now.   
All the other campers congratulated me. I thanked Nico again for the tips and I told everyone the simplest thing I realized.   
I only fully got my powers as a champion of Hades when I accepted that I am a champion of Hades and I am proud of it. Nico looked at me square in they eye and told me he wouldn’t trade me as a brother for anyone else.

But I was worried about something else, I told them that the attacks on camp and low camper morale is not something normal or an accident.   
I had a theory in mind but for that I would need Piper’s Charm Speak and all the campers to be assembled at one place.   
Piper caught on to what I was suggesting and she started looking a little sick. I told my friends that they should go pack and by the next hour which would be 11:00 we would meet at the dining pavilion.  
They started walking off and I walked back to the Big House, occupied with many thoughts on the way. Chiron was sitting there playing Pinochle with Mr. D and I knew better to insult him again. So I greeted him and told him that we have a problem.  
He scowled at me and then left, just as I expected. I told Chiron what I saw when I was fighting Sherman and what I thought about all the recent attacks and trouble with campers.   
He started growing worried by the moment but he calmed down when I told him that we have a solution.  
After I presented my solution he said that while it was a little uncanny it should work. I then continued to ask him about our quest and if he has any more information on it.   
He dodged my question by saying that he should probably be informing all the campers to get to the Mess Hall now.  
I knew that I would not be getting more answers so I made up an excuse and left. I went back to my Cabin to further examine the backpack and maybe split up money so we could have some for each stretch of the trip.  
Nico walked into the cabin and came over to where I was sitting, “Hey Abdur, you really did good. I knew you would understand your true powers.”  
And for the hundredth time in these few days, I felt so happy to have Nico as a brother. I thanked him and told him my plan of how we would have to break our trip into many parts. He was reluctant but understood that this would be the most efficient way.

As we were all standing in the Mess hall, Piper announced with Charm Speak dripping out of her tone, “If there are any Eidolons in this hall. Raise your hands.”   
A few campers snickered but then at least 3 campers raised their hand, Sherman was one of them. That explained a lot.  
Piper hissed an order at them, “Swear on the River Styx, that you will not appose us ever again, and you will not do anything to hurt any demigod ever again. You will leave these bodies and not go into any other half-bloods or machines in Camp Half-Blood or Jupiter”   
Sherman came forward and laughed, “Our master has promised us so much, why should we meet your demands.”   
Piper spoke again with much more authority in her voice, “You will swear on the River Styx.”   
This time all the Eidolons spoke in harmony, “We swear on the River Styx.” And like that the 3 half-bloods fell and were taken to the infirmary.

Everyone started clearing out again, Chiron came to us and simply said, “I hope you all are ready for your quest.”   
Before we could answer the sound of an explosion ringed through the air. And we all ran towards the sound of the explosion.  
We found ourselves nearing and running towards Thalia’s Pine, the place that I entered camp from.  
When we reached there, we saw Thalia summoning lightning bolts and hitting a 10 foot tall, very muscular and handsome man with prosthetic eyes that shined bronze. He was firing a bow and hitting Thalia with surprising accuracy.  
Nico hissed, “Orion the giant, he is the bane of the Twin Archers. Artemis and Apollo.”   
I studied him with more regard and acknowledged his dark hair which was undercut and swept into spikes on top.   
Due to his bronze mechanical eyes, he appeared to be wearing military night vision goggles, which were deeply embedded in his eye sockets.   
As he maniacally studied Thalia, the focusing rings on his eyes were spinning and clicking, while targeting lasers from them flashing from shades of red to green.

I pointed out the most obvious fact, “We can’t kill him without the help of a god.” The others nodded and said that I was correct, which I really did not want to be for once.  
“But we do have one, we can lead him inside to Dionysus or lead him here. Combined we can kill him.” The others agreed again but said that it would be hard to convince Dionysus, especially since he gives us no regard.  
I gave a very smart idea, “Piper go to the big house and try to talk him into coming. He might listen to you.”   
She nodded and ran off towards the general direction of the big house. And we all focused on the giant.   
I noticed her getting more weary by the second and the aura around her started to darken.  
Nico noticed this as well, “Guys we have to make her stop, she is going to kill herself like this.”   
Annabeth put on her Yankee’s Cap and said that she’s on it. Percy burst some pipes near by and Orion was starting to get sprayed with a lot of water.  
I shouted, “Thalia stop you’re going to kill yourself.” She heard me and stopped but that was enough of a distraction for Orion to shoot at her. Fortunately she was agile enough to roll out of the way.   
I summoned a copious amount of skeletons and ordered them to charge Orion, then I looked at Nico and we shared a thought. I hand-signaled a three and he understood.  
We charged at Orion with our swords drawn, however he was a very good fighter, and make it very hard for us to try to kill him. We only dealt a few scratches at most but it seemed as if those very stinging him and were agonizing for him. (Props to Stygian Iron) 

While we had distracted the giant, Will had gotten Thalia to safely and was giving her some Ambrosia.   
Percy was concentrating the water to surround Orion who did not even seem tired after fighting for so long but me and Nico were drained.   
I was wondering where Annabeth was when a Drakon-Bone sword impaled Orion from behind, he did not seem to fazed by a sword in his back though because he flipped Annabeth and threw her at us. She landed on her feet but seemed a little dazed.  
And just when it seemed we would be bested by the Archer Giant, vines started growing around his foot.   
I did nothing besides smiling at him weakly then charging at him with my sword, I jumped and stabbed him in the heart as he was getting consumed by the grape vines.   
I muttered a silent thanks to Dionysus and Piper for convincing him. And then I tried to regroup with everyone and see the injuries.  
Thalia was burned out from using too much lightning and Annabeth’s left wrist was strained.   
Overall we were very lucky but we all knew, that our luck would not last too long.   
We went to the big house where Piper was thanking Mr. D for saving camp. When I reached there, I did the same and told him he had done a great deed. He didn’t seem very happy however. 

We all decided that it would be best to leave now but before we left we would ask Thalia some questions.   
She informed us that Orion came and killed at least 1/3 of the hunters before Reyna decided to take the other hunters to safety.   
“I also decided to distract him but...he was too strong for me and I had to come here. He said that Tartarus was making very calculated decisions and this was only the beginning.”   
We thanked her for being smart and told her that she can stay for as much time it takes her to heal. She nodded but seemed very sad about leaving the hunters  
After we were outside the infirmary, Annabeth said, “Ok so now we know that Tartarus is behind these attacks, I mean if he can free a Giant, what will he do next? He could unleash Typhon.”   
Piper also added her concerns, “Well besides that, we probably have limited time. We will have to split up and half of us can go get Leo and Calypso from the Way Station and the rest can go to Camp Jupiter and get Frank and Hazel.”  
We all seemed to like the plan and agreed that would be the smartest course of action.  
I told them to get everything and we would be leaving as soon as possible. I made sure that Chiron had Argus ready to take and drop us. 

In ten minutes, we were in a white van that read Delphi’s Strawberry Service on the side, discussing some final adjustments.  
Annabeth said, “Okay so firstly, let’s break the teams into three’s. Any idea on a good way to do it?”  
I answered her question, “Actually yes. Piper, Percy and You, can go to the Way Station to get Leo and Calypso. And the rest of us go to Camp Jupiter. Unless there are issues?” Nobody had any problems or issues with the plan so one thing was settled.  
Nico then added, “But is taking public transport the safest way? I mean there could be many civilian casualties if Tartarus sends us some monsters while we’re on a bus for example.”  
Will agreed, “Yes we need a different way to travel. I mean Percy can call BlackJack.”  
Percy said, “Yes I can get BlackJack but what about your group? How will you guys travel.”  
I grinned at them, “Me and Nico could Shadow-Travel us there, or at least we could get close enough. I mean would it be fine with you Nico?”  
Nico replied, “Yes. I’m pretty sure that we both combined could reach Camp Jupiter or at least close enough.”  
By this time most of our plan was refined and Argus stopped the van and gestured at us to get outside because this is as far as he would take us.  
We got off and wished each other good luck, Percy had already called BlackJack.  
We told each other that if we ran into any problems we would Iris-Message each other. And just like that Me, Nico and Will were left as BlackJack flew off with the other half of the group.


	8. Percy Jackson

After everything that was happening recently, it felt good to be back on BlackJack’s back, but I still knew that we were on a important mission. We had to get to the Way Station.   
Annabeth told us that it would take us a few hours because of how quick Blackjack is. He neighed which I translated as Thank you.  
The next few hours were very uneventful but when we did reached Indianapolis, the whole city felt...wrong.  
I voiced my concerns, “Guys something feels wrong. The whole city is too quiet.”  
BlackJack was also becoming a little skittish and he informed me that he would only set us down and have to leave. I was fine with that because I did not want him to get hurt.  
When we Blackjack set us down, we got interrupted by a pedestrian who greeted us, “Hello, it is nice to meet you. I’m Nanette and you must be Percy Jackson. We’ve heard so much about you.”  
Well that took us by surprise, thankfully Piper spoke, “You do know us, from where did you hear about us.”  
The woman said, being clearly affected by the Charm Speak, “Master Tartarus told us that you would be coming and to overrun the Way Station.”

Piper then pried, “And how well has that been going? Also what are you?” The woman laughed, “We almost took it over but the boy with Fire set us back a lot. Also it isn’t very nice to ask me what I am, is it?”   
Annabeth understood, “You’re a Blemmyae, the tribe of headless people. But you’re working for Tartarus?”  
The Blemmyae replied, “Now that’s not very polite dear, calling someone a headless person. Even if you’re correct.”  
I interrupted just to make things worse, “Well if you are really polite, can you lead us to the Way Station?”  
Piper helped me out by adding, “You will take us to the Way Station because it is the polite thing to do.”  
Nanette was overtaken by the Charm Speak because she gave us proper directions to the end of a plaza. We followed them being careful not to walk straight into a trap.   
Annabeth was the first one to ask, “How can we be so sure that this is not a trap?”  
I answered, “We can’t, let’s just hope that the Charm Speak held up. And she spoke the truth.”

We continued to walk towards the end of the plaza when a woman seemingly appeared out of nowhere and started walked towards us.  
She looked like a retired fashion model, with long dark hair swept over one shoulder, talon-like fingers with long red-painted nails. She also had a faint glow emanating around her.   
With a face that was gorgeous in a surreal super-model way and she wore an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry, she wore a gleaming gold pendant with the symbol of Hecate, the crossed torches around her neck.  
I glanced at Annabeth and Piper to see if they recognized her. Piper did recognize her because she looked in absolute shock and barely stuttered out, “You...but...I killed you.”   
The woman sneered at us and as she looked at Piper her face contorted into disgust. “Piper McLean, I thought I would’ve seen the last of you. Wasn’t losing Jason enough. You sure are a glutton for pain.”  
Piper looked as if someone just stabbed her, “I...It’s..not my fault. You got him killed. You sided with Caligula and now are helping Tartarus.”   
The woman laughed at us, “You really believe that don’t you, I almost feel pity for you. But alas why don’t you introduce me to your friends, at least they’ll die knowing who was responsible.”   
Piper started to clench her first in anger, I glanced over at Annabeth and we both understood that we have to interfere.   
Annabeth stepped in before Piper could make a mistake, “Why don’t we hear it from you? If you’re really so powerful and good, introduce yourself.”

The woman cackled, “Annabeth Chase, you might not recognize me but you certainly remember my aunt. The Immortal Sorceress, Circe.”   
I still did not recognize her but Annabeth did because the shock on her face was prominently displayed.   
Piper spoke with disgust in her voice, “This is Medea, she was alive at the time of the original Jason and the Argo.”   
Medea started to glow brighter making the skin on her forehead translucent and her thick skull visible.  
She hissed back, “Don’t you dare utter that name in front of me. But yes, I am the Princesses of Colchis, a legacy of Helios and priestess of Hecate.”  
I finally decided to speak, simultaneously uncapping Riptide, “Well it seems as if you’ve already died so it wouldn’t be a real shame if we kill you again.” 

She laughed back at me maniacally and just confirmed that she is crazy, “No but it would be a shame if you decided to fight Annabeth and Piper.”   
I don’t know what came over me, it was like I was a passenger in my body because rather than lunging at Medea, I slowly turned over and looked at my friends questioningly.  
Annabeth started talking, “No..No..Percy snap out of it. She’s a sorceress, a witch and she’s trying to use you.”  
The Sorceress just laughed and slowly but arrogantly replied, “My dear Annabeth, I have learned Charm Speaking from the Immortal Sorceress Circe herself. Percy here has no power over me.”  
I wanted to scream out and say anything that could help me. I wanted to be in control of my body but I couldn’t. I felt myself raising my sword.  
Piper snapped out of whatever Medea had said, “Percy no. You will not listen to her, take control of your self.”  
That helped and for a sliver of a second, I had power and I lowered my sword.   
But that lasted only for a minute because Medea spoke again, “Annabeth are you not mad? Luke died and the gods decided to not do anything. They could’ve helped, but if you join us Tartarus will revive him and you both can rule together.”

A look of contemplation crossed Annabeth before she spoke calmly, “Medea there’s the difference between us, you’ve been consumed by your anger but Luke let it go and sacrificed himself.”  
Piper then said, “Jason did not sacrifice himself in vain. Medea we’ve defeated everything that’s been thrown at us.”  
I couldn’t help but asking a question, “Before we do kill each other, can someone explain why our luck is so bad. I mean we have to face the monsters and immortals that want to kill us the most.”  
Medea laughed wickedly, “Naive Heroes, do you really believe it is your luck that is so bad?”   
She questioned us but I don’t think she wanted an answer.  
Then continued, “No but my Patron can choose who he favors as a monster to come back and escaping the underworld is easy when it’s being attacked. Pasiphaë’s Child wanted to take revenge on you so the generative ability was shifted to him. That’s why it came back a little too early.”

It started making a lot of sense to me, I mean we do have enemies but Tartarus was relentless.   
And I had enough of her talking but before I could voice that out, She growled at us, “Well I might not be able to kill you first because an old friend would like to meet you all.”  
A man with very spiky hair and glasses walked out of the darkness, I instantly recognized him.  
I spoke with distaste, “Dr. Thorn, I thought you would’ve decided to stay away from us after Dionysus killed you.”  
Medea laughed, “My...colleague here...from Persia allied with the Titans and we all know how well that went. But Master is really kind so he recruited him to prove his worth.”  
Piper spoke, “Medea you are crazy, your aunts are crazy also who is Dr. Thorn?”  
Medea laughed and started to thank us, “Piper, you have just made my job a hundred times easier.”  
Dr. Thorn growled in a guttural-beast like tone, and started shifting form into a lion with a thick mane with a scorpions tail that had at least 30 spikes on it.   
“I am the Manticore, the eater of Man. I was banished to Persia and could only eat low life farmers but now I shall feast on Demigods. I shall be remembered as the Killer of Half-Bloods.”

The last 2 times we fought the Manticore, we lost. It was the only monster which we had not defeated and I did not like my chances even now.  
Medea snapped her fingers and in a poof of smoke, she disappeared with Piper.  
I screamed, “Hey stupid witch lady, where’d you go and give back Piper.”  
The Manticore laughed, “Stupid half-blood, your friends should consider herself lucky, the sorceress will be merciful with her but on the other hand, what I will do to you. For eons humans and monsters alike will tremble on the mere hearing of my name.”  
I was very annoyed, “Listen Dr. Thorn, or Mr. Man-Eater whatever alias you want to go with. You want a fight, let’s get it over with.”  
He laughed and lunged at Annabeth while screaming, “Remember me Child of Athena.”  
That was the final straw, you want to fight me or kill me go ahead but you do not threaten my Wise Girl.  
I lunged at the Manticore and slashed downwards but he had better reactions so he bit my sword and dented it.  
I was caught in a moment of shock and Dr. Thorn took full advantage of the situation because he swiped at me, knocking me off my feet. I skid on the rough concrete about a few feet.  
The only pro from the encounter was that I had the Manticores undivided attention. I was hoping that Annabeth would maybe escape by wearing her cap.

The Manticore towered over me and said with glee, “Why don’t you put up a fight? I want everyone to remember me for killing the strongest of half-bloods not some weakling.”  
He was not expecting Annabeth to leap on him and then try to impale him with a sword but with almost no effort he got her off her back and shot two spines into her hand.  
The results were prominent because Annabeth did not try to get back up. I’ve been weakened by it’s spikes and it is not a pleasant experience at all. It feels like your blood is boiling and at any moment your body could just stop fighting.  
The Manticore put his attention back on me, “Now here’s the thing, that Child of Athena insulted me in front of the General. So I will deal with her later but if you tell me where the kid with Fire is hiding, I will make her death quick.”  
I barely spat out, “You will not even touch Annab-“  
He interrupted me by impaling me with one of his spikes, the poison was agonizing, and I could feel my self drifting away from consciousness.  
I tried to get up but fell right back down only to hear the Manticore cackling, “It was a valiant effort but nonetheless a failure. How long did you think you think you would evade us?”  
I wanted to be cheeky and say that I had made it so far so you’ve probably not been doing a good job but all I could make out was a groan to which he laughed.   
He started pawing me around and telling me to get up, fight him. He was toying with me.  
He growled at me concurrently picking up Annabeth who was swatting at the Manticore, “I’ll give you one more chance, tell me where the half-blood of Fire is before I kill this Child of Athena.”  
It dawned on me that the only reason we’re alive is because the Manticore still has use for us. Now I’m definitely not the best on talking my way out, that’s more of Annabeth’s expertise but I had to try.  
  
“I know where the boy is.’ I lied but tried to hide that. ‘But I will only tell you under a set of conditions.”   
He laughed, “And what if I don’t want to follow those conditions? What’s to stop me from killing this child?”  
I knew he was being completely serious so I had to think smarter, but nothing came to me. The doctor kept staring at me with his mismatched eyes.  
I said with no emotion in my tone, “You won’t kill her. She is way too useful to you and your master, and we both know that if you try to do anything more, I won’t talk.”  
It seemed to me as if I caught his bluff because he muttered, “Fine what are your conditions?”  
I started, “First you will swear on the River Styx to follow each of my words to the fullest.”  
He grumbled around for a few seconds but then said with a lot of hesitance, “I swear on the River Styx to follow your conditions.”   
I sighed in relief, “You will let both of us go and tell us where Medea took Piper.”  
The Manticore pushed Annabeth on to me and grudgingly agreed. But then I forgot that I was also a part of the deal.   
He then roared at me, “Now you shall tell me where the boy with Fire is. Master would love to get his hands on him.”  
I smiled and weakly said, “Well the problem with this little agreement is that, I don’t even know where he is.”  
The Manticore seemed baffled but a very thin smile started forming on his face, “While I did swear to let you go and tell you where Medea is with Piper, I did not swear to not hurt you.”  
How could I have been so dumb, and made such a stupid mistake. I blame that Manticore poison, I wasn’t thinking straight and I knew that I would regret it.   
He smirked at me, “Medea has taken her to Commodus’ old stadium but unfortunately you won’t live long enough to save her.” He continued on about how he would take revenge or something like that. 

I wasn’t listening to what he was saying because something behind him had caught my eye.   
It looked like Dr. Thorn but less scary and more majestic. It had the body of a lion but face of an eagle with no scorpion tail. And there were 2 people riding on it.  
My day had just got so much weirder and when the Manticore noticed I was ignoring him, he started throwing a tantrum.  
“You will be the last person to disrespect me like this Percy Jackson.” And he tried to shoot me again with a spine but it veered of course as if a gust of wind had caught it.  
I was positive that if any more poison entered into my blood stream, I would not make it.   
I was getting a little woozy and laughed at the Manticore, “Why are you uglier than your sibling.”  
He growled back at me, “I do not have any siblings that look like me, stop trying to waste my time.”  
And just at that moment the flying lion lowered and I recognized it as a gryphon.   
The Manticore also noticed this because he decided that he had played enough and now it’s time to seal the deal.  
He lunged at my throat but was launched a few feet away by a very strong explosion of wind.   
Annabeth also started to stir around and groaned, “What happened. Where are you Percy?”  
As quickly as the Manticore had went down, he got back up again. As much as I loved resilience, but only from anyone fighting on my side, this was getting very annoying.  
I peered over to see a girl and a boy get off from the gryphon. I discerned them as Leo and....was that Calypso.  
I was very grateful for both of them to get here in time to safe us but I knew the conversation that would happen afterwards, would be awkward to say the least.

Dr. Thorn started cackling, “Thank you for bringing them to me Percy. Master shall be very pleased.”  
Leo casually said, “Hey Percy and Annabeth, who’s the ugly lion here? And is that a scorpion tail?”   
Calypso rebuked, “Leo that’s a Manticore. I though you would’ve recognized it.  
I questioned, “Which one of you controlled the winds. Last I remember Leo could only do fire.”  
Calypso chuckled and said, “That would be me, it did take time after I left Ogygia but I got most of my powers back.”  
The Manticore interrupted, “I’m sorry to interrupt your get together, but it’s time you die.” He lunged at Annabeth who was barely awake at the moment.   
No one was expecting that besides Annabeth who got her sword in the way and let it pierce through the Manticore.  
Unfortunately it had very little effect on the Manticore besides annoying him. But it did give me the adrenaline rush needed to get up and pull Annabeth and me to the side.

The Manticore shot the rest of the spines on his tail at us in a very rapid spraying motion, only to be deflected by Calypso and burnt to a crisp by Leo.   
But he did not seem discouraged rather more excited by the fact that someone would be putting up a fight.  
Leo shouted at me, “Before we kill the stupid lion, can I know what in the name of Hades, are you both doing here? I mean if you missed us, you should’ve told us, we would’ve visited.”  
Calypso seemed a little annoyed, “Lets focus on saving our lives and then we can catch up.”  
The Manticore seemed intrigued, “Oh you both don’t know?’ He started questioning them. ‘Shows the friendship is really deep. I mean you would expect them to at least tell you, right Leo and Calypso.”  
If he wanted to distract them then it was a job well done because Leo seemed puzzled and asked him, “What are you talking about?”  
The Manticore knew he struck a cord so he continued by reciting a part of the prophecy, “A single mistake to bring the world to raze  
And shall see everyone in a haze.’   
He then redirected his talking towards me. “What if you’ve already made the mistake Percy.”

Leo seemed annoyed at the Manticore and he snapped, “Ok well Mr. Manticore, it was fun knowing you but if I were you I would be ready for a one way trip to Tartarus right about now.”   
He then nodded at Calypso who started making a whirlwind around the Manticore.   
By the time he was entrapped in the eye of the storm, Leo conjured up some fire on his hands and threw it at the tornado which caught fire.  
About a minute later and Calypso could not hold the tornado any longer, and fortunately for her, she did not need to because all that was left of the Manticore were ashes.   
I thanked Leo and Calypso for saving us, however, one look from Calypso and she deduced that me and Annabeth needed serious medical assistance.  
Annabeth was still very dazed and I wasn’t feeling any better myself. Leo then repeated his previous question about what we were doing here.  
I promised both of them that I would answer all there questions as soon as we reached a safe spot. 


	9. Percy Jackson

So then Calypso told us to get up and walk with them to the Way Station. After around 15 minutes of walking with agonizing pain, we reached a building on the opposite side of where Nanette had told us we had to go.  
Leo shoved aside a set of bricks covering the Main Entrance in the Union Station building.   
He spoke to the building, and asked it to take them to the Infirmary. I was a little skeptical at first but when we turned down a corridor, we were indeed at an infirmary.  
There was a woman that looked old working with some ingredients and a conical flask. I assumed that she might’ve been making a potion.  
Leo announced himself, “Emmie we need some help, we’ve got 2 friends here that have been injected with Manticore poison.”  
She instantly tensed up and started fretting about us, then after a general examination of Annabeth and me. She made us get onto 2 of the beds and started treating us.  
I won’t say the specifics but I remember drinking a lot of nectar and eating a lot of Ambrosia and vomiting a lot of the poison out. Annabeth was having a similar experience.  
Emmie gave us a potion each and told us that we would be drowsy and need to rest for a few hours. 

I fell asleep and In my dreams I found myself in a familiar place, but it seemed ruined and hectic. There were mermen in battle armor hurrying towards the sounds of explosions.  
There were ranks of sharks and dolphins swimming by, taking orders from my half-brother Tyson who was leading the Cyclops armies with a very big stick.   
He didn’t seem to notice me and I was ok with that because I did not want him to be distracted in battle.  
As I continued walking deeper inside the palace, I noticed it got more destroyed and battle   
I finally made myself to the throne room where my dad was ordering Delphin, telling him to make sure each front is ready.  
When he was done, he glanced to my side and seemed a little relieved from all the stress.  
He said first, “It’s nice to see you again Percy, I miss you so does Tyson.”  
Admittedly I missed them as well but I knew there were more important things on hand, “Who’s attacking the kingdom now?”  
He spoke with sadness, “Oceanus and Tethys have teamed up with Tartarus and are trying to use the same strategy as the second Titanomachy. To divide and conquer.”  
I understood and carefully remarked, “But you defeated them once, you can do it again right.”  
He became sadder and then said, “Percy I really wish it were that easy. Tartarus has proven to be smarter, he’s trying to make Atlantis bleed with a thousand cuts.”  
I didn’t understood so I said, “Dad please explain more, what do you mean by that?”  
He nodded and then said, “While Oceanus is slowly building up an army, Keto is sending the worst of sea monsters to keep ruining our defenses.’ He took a moment to breathe. ‘We’ve already faced a Giant crab, two Skolopendra and four Trojan Sea Monsters. The worst part is they are reforming almost instantly.”  
I wanted to answer and keep him confident that this would all be over very soon.  
But before I could say anything I was whisked away to Camp Half-Blood only to see a small army of Dracaena attacking campers.  
The campers were winning but the whole camp seemed down as if these attacks while small were consistently adding up.  
Sherman Yang was screaming at the Ares Cabin to do a better job while the Apollo cabin were healing all those that were hurt.

I woke up to a Dracaena standing with Emmie and staring at me, I acted out of instincts and reached for my pockets to find Riptide not there.  
I asked Emmie why there was a Dracaena standing above me, she laughed and introduced her as a friend called Sssssarah.  
I calmed down and started questioning her, “How long was I asleep?”  
She informed us that me and Annabeth both were out cold for a few hours now and that everyone was waiting for us in the grand hall.  
I looked over and saw that Annabeth had woken up and looked way better than before.  
She beamed at me, “Percy I feel way better, what about you?”  
I laughed and said, “I feel good as well Wise Girl, we should probably go explain what’s happening to everyone.”  
Emmie guided us through the Way Station and explained that it had its own life force, Annabeth compared it to the Labyrinth to which Emmie agreed that it was identical.

Soon we found ourselves in a large cathedral-like hall at the top of the ramp. Over our heads curved a barreled ceiling of wood carvings, with glowing stained-glass panels in the center creating green and gold geometric designs.   
At the far end of the room, the rose window from outside cast dartboard-line shadows across the painted cement floor.   
To the left and right there were raised walkways with wrought-iron railings, and elegant Victorian lampposts lined the walls.   
While it did seem outdated, I liked the Victorian style to the Mess Hall. Annabeth was very impressed and was probably very excited to see a lot of the Architectural designs.  
Emmie explained that a demigod architect designed it as a safe haven for whoever needed it during the beginning of the transcontinental railroad.  
Behind the railings, rows of doorways led into other rooms. The whole place had a faint animal scent. In one corner of the main room gleamed a chef’s kitchen big enough to host several celebrity cook-offs at once.   
Sets of sofas and comfy chairs were clustered here and there. At the center of the hall stood a massive dining table with seating for twenty.   
Under the window, the contents of several different workshops seemed to have been disgorged at random: table saws, drills, lathes, kilns, forges, anvils, 3-D printers, sewing machines, cauldrons, welding stations and several other industrial appliances.  
It had a bit of everything for everyone. We walked towards the table where everyone was seated.

Leo was talking to an old woman, and he started jumping in joy when they were finished talking.  
I took my seat at the table and started by explaining everything that’s happening since Tartarus’ rise. (I didn’t add the prophecy because I wasn’t so trusting of everyone here.)  
When I told them that Piper was kidnapped by Medea and being held at Commodus’ stadium, Leo became paler and with anger, said that we have to go right now to get her.  
Calypso interrupted, “Now hold on Leo, for all we know it’s a trap so we need a smart plan rather than just bust right in.”  
Annabeth added, “Leo she’s right about that, Medea definitely has the whole place trapped, it won’t do her any good if we get caught as well.”  
After a little back and forth between us, another boy commented, “I know a way in.”  
Emmie spoke, “Lit are you sure? I mean for all we know Medea would’ve changed up the whole place.”  
Lit then slowly but confidently said, “I’m sure that there is an entrance not even Medea knows about but it’s a little dangerous.”  
We all agreed that we would take that path and Lit would lead us in. I asked if Leo and Calypso could stay after everyone has left.  
I trusted them enough to tell them the Prophecy we had received, with each passing line they got more worried. I told Leo and Calypso that they were a part of the prophecy.  
Leo asked me to elaborate and Calypso, herself looked like she did not want to be a part of it.  
So I recited the prophecy, “The eternal flame and once cursed to light they way. Only combined shall there be a ray.”  
Then explained, “Well Leo is the eternal flame because of his abilities over fire and Calypso was cursed to stay at Ogygia.”  
They seemed to like my logic and everyone agreed that Leo and Calypso should go with us after freeing Medea.

I started by apologizing, “I’m sorry Calypso, I should’ve made sure the Olympians held their pro-  
She cut in between, “Percy stop there is no need to apologize, you asked for my freedom. And in the end we got who we wanted to be with.”  
Leo turned a very dark shade of red and I’m not ashamed to say I also blushed.  
Annabeth muttered, “I’m very happy with Seaweed Brain but you definitely give out a heck of a curse.”  
Calypso also turned scarlet and stuttered, “I...umm...mmm...I’m very sorry for that Annabeth, it’s just I was tired of my fate.”  
Annabeth accepted the apology and both of them agreed that there were no hard feelings.  
I was still confused about one thing so I asked, “Hey Leo what did Josephine says that made you jump in joy?”  
He grinned at me and explained how Festus had only 3 seats but he wanted it to fit more people, somehow he found a way to add 7 more seats.  
I was happy because now we had a very big fire breathing dragon on our side for the battles to come.   
We made our way to the rooms where we would be staying and settled in for the night.  
Everyone knew that tomorrow would be a very big day and getting some rest was necessary.

Well everyone besides Tartarus because in my dreams I was taken to Camp Jupiter, only to find it under attack.  
The twin bears Agrius and Oreius were leading the charge with hundreds of Colchis bulls running in and burning the ground, legionaries and anything else that came in the way.  
There were ranks of Dracaena marching with Empousa in complete battle armor.  
Michael Kahale, Centurion of the first cohort was trying to fight off Argius and was having difficulty, when a Colchis Bull charged at him and pierced him with its horns and he fell.  
Frank and Hazel were trying to keep everyone in proper ranks and order but the amount of monsters were overwhelming.  
I saw a girl with pink hair charging into battle leading the fifth cohort and behind her a Karpoi army of Peaches were also fighting.  
There was an explosion near the Field of Mars, I looked over to see Hannibal being attacked by a battalion of Myrmeke Ants.   
Just when it looked like Hannibal would become victorious, a giant badger twice as big as Hannibal, jumped out of a gaping hole next to the Elephant and started gnawing on him.   
The whole camp was being overwhelmed, while the praetors were trying their best to get all their reserves.  
I was pulled to a small hill on the outskirts of the Camp, overlooking the little Tiber and the entrance from the Caldecott tunnel.  
A somber and sadistic voice spoke to me, “How will you stop this Percy? While it has not happened yet, it will surely happen soon. Why do you keep fighting, you shall lose all that you strive for.”  
The first time I was face to face with Tartarus, he radiated such powerful malevolence, that I wanted to run away and hide.  
His mere voice filled me with dread, and the only reason I replied to him was because of my pure hatred towards him.  
“Tartarus. We have destroyed the Earth-Mother. Why do you think we cannot defeat you.”  
He laughed with the sound of pure evil emanating, “Percy Jackson you have seen what I did to 3 titans and a giant. What’s stopping me from doing that to you and your friends?”  
As he said that I was whisked away to the other part of our group who were looking very tired and no where near Camp Jupiter.  
Then I was pulled away again, towards an abandoned building. At the entrance stood Medusa who was covered in a veil and the Minotaur.  
The only way I recognized Medusa was because of the hissing of snakes from her head.  
The Pit laughed once more and warned me, “They have 1 day before Medusa and Pasiphaë’s child reach. Do you think they’ll survive? The 3 of you couldn’t even hold of my weaker strike group.”  
I wanted to scream very loudly and try to warn them, I wanted to wake up and send an iris message. I wanted to do anything but I could I was stuck in place.  
Tartarus then screamed, “I will start with Hades then the rest of the Olympians. One by one they shall fall.”

I woke up tired and drenched in sweat. It was already morning but Annabeth was still asleep.   
I went over to her bed and woke her up, “Hey Wise Girl, it’s time to wake up now.”  
She woke up very groggy but at least she looked well rested. I told her that I have some bad news.   
We started making our way towards the Mess Hall and found that Leo, Calypso, Lit, Jo and Emmie were getting prepared for our mission.  
They greeted us good morning and told us that our breakfast was on the table and we should get prepared to leave by the next 2 hours.  
I started explaining my dream, of how all the camps would be under attack and another hit group was targeting Abdur, Nico and Will.   
I advised them to up the defenses around the Way Station because Tartarus might decide to target it.  
Everyone was silent and continued packing while we finished up our breakfast.  
Annabeth asked Emmie and Jo if we could send an Iris Message to the other group and Camps.  
Emmie agreed and brought out a water sprayer and a prism light source. She started creating a mist and used the prism to create a rainbow.   
Annabeth threw in a Drachma, and chanted the saying before asking for a view of our other group. Nothing happened.  
No one was expecting that so we tried again, but this time asked for Chiron at Camp. No answer again. Dejected we gave up.

I walked over to Leo and asked him if he could do me a favor. He laughed and jokingly mocked me, “Why not Water Boy?”  
I laughed back and punched him on the shoulder, then I took out riptide and showed that it got dented in the fight with the Manticore.   
I questioned him, “Do you think you can fix this? I mean it’s pretty damaged because of the fight.”  
He acted offended, “Aqua Man must you insult me like this. This is Bad Boy McShizzle, fixes pretty much everything.” We laughed it off and I gave him my sword.  
After an hour of preparations, all of us were completely ready and Leo came to me with my sword, completely repaired, for which I thanked him.  
I asked Lit a question, “So how are we going to reach the Stadium without Medea finding out.”  
He seemed uneasy but said, “We can walk through the Canal, that is under the stadium, it will be a very quick entrance but there is the Carthaginian Serpent guarding the entrance.”  
Leo added, “Is it the 120 feet long snake that literally smells like schist and manure?”  
Lit laughed and said, “Last I remember, Meg, Apollo and you had defeated it right?”  
Leo boasted, “Heck yea we did, but it took a little bit of Apollo’s divinity so I wouldn’t call it an easy task.”  
I told Leo to keep an escape plan ready just in case we have to make a quick getaway.   
He said that he’d keep a whistle that calls Festus to take us far away. I liked that plan.  
After a few more minutes, our group consisting of Leo, Calypso, Lit, Annabeth and I started walking towards the canal.

It took us about 15 minutes of walking to successfully reach the entrance of the Canal.  
We entered and the smell was the first thing that disturbed me, it was the putridness of smelly Gabe, multiplied by ten.  
There were dead rats floating around in the water and after a few minutes of walking we reached a wall.  
Leo went over and started working on it, I warned him to be extra careful because if that Serpent was around, it would be here.  
He got it open in a minute, and Lit announced that past the wall is an entrance into the Stadium.  
As we walked up, we found ourselves at ground level which was completely ravaged. That was not a good sign.  
We started hearing struggle from the other end of the stadium and rushed towards it.  
When we reached there, we saw Piper fighting with Medea and ultimately losing.   
Calypso used her control over wind spirits to knock Medea to the other side and Piper lunged at Medea with her knife drawn and stabbed the Sorceress then broke down in tears.  
Annabeth went to her and started comforting her but made sure she knew that we had to leave now.  
Leo spoke, “Hey Pipes, I’m sorry but we rea-  
He was interrupted by a voice booming over the speaker system, “Impressive, but you have cheated Piper, you know the punishment.”  
Piper started screaming, “No......No......No.....Stop it.....Medea stop it please.”  
I griped my sword tightly, expecting a big fight but what happened was even worse.  
All the Big screens in the stadium played a single scene of a man stabbing Jason between the Shoulder Blades with a spear.  
I couldn’t believe it neither could anyone else, however, Leo was aware enough to notice the Dracaena and Blemmyae starting to surround us. He took a whistle out of his tool-belt and used it.  
Soon enough Festus broke through the room of the stadium and burned a dozen of the monsters back to Tartarus.  
He settled down while we all got on him, ultimately allowing us to escape the stadium but I feared that Medea didn’t want to end us. No she had a bigger plan to break us from the inside and she was successful.  
No one dare spoke until Leo ordered Festus to set us down near the Way Station and asked Lit to tell the Owners that we would not be home for a while.

I wanted to say something to maybe cheer everyone up, or at least raise the spirits among us, but one look and it was clear no one was ready to talk about what happened.  
We all mutually agreed that we had to prod forward because our friends were in trouble.  
After flying for about 15 minutes, Calypso asked Leo to stop at a nearby gas station.  
Leo was confused but still listened to what Calypso said and landed at the nearest Gas Station.  
Calypso spoke, “Piper I know this might not be the right time but we’ve got to be clear about some things.”  
We all understood where this conversation was about to go, so Annabeth helped Calypso.  
“Piper she’s right, we’re a team and we should know what Medea did or said, it might be important.”  
She was quiet and gave no sign of giving an answer. Piper seemed very traumatized and I didn’t want her to be pushed into doing something she did not to do.

Just when I was about to interrupt them and say that we should not stay at any place for too long, Piper sighed and started to explain.  
“When Medea took me to the stadium, she said that I would regret trying to fight against her, and she showed me how the fight against the Manticore was going. I was honestly worried that both of you would not make it.”  
Leo politely joked with a lot of ego, “I don’t think they would’ve either, thankfully we were there to save them.”  
I tried to lighten the mood by laughing and saying, “Very humble of you Admiral Leo.” Everyone laughed at that.  
Piper continued, “Well after you got saved, Medea decided to do a better job with me and starting sending in Monsters, while using the speaker system to tell me it was my fault that Jason died.”  
She started tearing up at this point.  
Annabeth added while putting a hand on her shoulder, “Piper it’s ok, you can take your time.”   
Piper thanked Annabeth and nodded before continuing.

“When I was tired from the fights, she sent in a mist form of herself, but I didn’t know that and went crazy trying to finish her.’ She took a moment to breath. ‘After I was sure she was dead, she started laughing over the speaker system and mocking me....she showed me Jason’s death over and over again.”  
At this point she was bawling while Annabeth and Calypso tried to calm her down. Honestly, Jason’s death had hit all of us hard, but Piper was taking it the worst.  
I gestured at Leo and announced, “Come on Leo, let’s secure the area and make sure no one is following us.”  
We moved aside and let the girls settle the matter because honestly I didn’t think I could make the situation better.  
I asked Leo, “Should we try to send another Iris message to warn the camps and Nico’s group?”  
He answered, “I’m not sure but I’d be worth a try, we could use the car wash there to create a mist.”  
I agreed and when it looked like the situation had calmed down, we made our way over there and gave our idea.   
They liked it and we walked into the Car Wash and created a mist but when we tried to send an Iris Message, it didn’t work.

We were about to walk away before a deep voice started speaking, “You have tried to reach R.O.F.L, unfortunately, Iris is under hostage and will not be let go. So what will you do Heroes.”  
All of us were very confused and did not have an answer, we looked at each other, and I finally spoke, “Who are you?”  
We got no reply. The voice seemed familiar but I couldn’t place a finger on where I remember it from.  
I shouted again to no avail, “Hey I asked you a question. Who are you and what have you done to Iris.”  
Annabeth reminded me, “Percy we shouldn’t stay for long, for all we know Medea is following us.”  
Piper muttered under her breath, “I dare that witch to show her face to me again.”  
We left the car wash and sat on Festus again who seemed agitated and looked like he wanted to leave now.  
As we took off, Leo asked me, “So Percy where are we heading, did you get any rough location in your dream?”  
I hated to disappoint but told him that I did not know where Nico’s group were but we have to go towards Camp Jupiter as it’s our safest bet.  
Leo announced to no one in particular because everyone was distracted, “Oakland Hills, here we come.”


	10. Abdur

Shadow traveling was a very fun experience, if you’re not afraid of the dark, scary noises and traveling fast enough to feel your face peeling off.  
However, it drained the life out of me and that was evident because during the travel, I had to ask Nico to stop.  
When we had stopped moving through the shadows, I apologized for not being able to complete the trip.  
Nico laughed and said, “There is no need to apologize Abdur, I myself am very tired right now. The first time I shadow travelled, I ended up in China and I had to rest for 1 week there.”  
Will laughed again but then reprimanded us, “Well it’s clear that you both are not going to be shadow traveling, any time soon. The doctor says that you have to rest.”  
We whined a little and said that it’s fine, we just need some time to rest up and then we’d be ready to shadow travel again.  
But when I tried to get up and walk a little, I fell and it was clear to everyone that I am not ready to do it again.  
Will told me and Nico to stay put because he’s going to scope put the area and make sure there are no monsters.   
Nico seemed uneasy at the idea of Will going only but eventually he relented and told him to not do anything stupid.  
I had never been in America so I had no ideas about locations, but I had taken wilderness survival classes and they teach you to identify your location by landmarks, trails, signs etc...

The area surrounding us was a grassy plains environment, there were some Deers and Antelope walking around and there were a few peaks ahead of us and there big rivers flowing nearby.  
The sun had not yet reached its mid way point, so from the direction it was rising, I found the general direction of west then from than information, it was easy finding north.  
I asked Nico, “So Nico do you have any idea where we are or how close we are to Camp Jupiter?”  
Nico shook his head then said, “I don’t know where we are but let’s just hope we are close.”  
I took out a chunk of Ambrosia, that Chiron had given me, from my Backpack, split it into half and gave 1 of the halves to Nico and told him to eat up.

He thanked me and for a few minutes, I sat there eating Ambrosia which reminded me of the times I made my own Cookie Ice cream sundaes.  
After some time had passed, I got up and was feeling better. Nico got up as well, and we started looking for Will because it had been quite some time and he hadn’t returned.  
We started walking in the general direction that Will had gone in, and saw no sign of that he was there.  
Nico started worrying a little more and I reassured him, “He couldn’t have walked to far, maybe he found something that could help us and got distracted.”   
That seemed to calm him down but after walking for five minutes, with no sign that Will was nearby, I had also started to get worried.  
We continued walking when all of a sudden, Will rushed out from the bushes on our right side, and he seemed very disoriented, babbling on out of control. Nico asked him to calm down and then talk.  
He took a breath and then retorted, “Giant scorpions and Giant snakes, they almost caught me but I got away. They’re very close. We should leave NOW.”

Me and Nico looked at each other and reached a mutual agreement to try to shadow-travel again.  
We moved towards the thicket, where the shadows were at their darkest. And then started moving through the again.  
However, unlike last time, there was something very wrong because me and Nico were getting drained even quicker and it felt like the shadows were trying to push us out to limit our movement.  
We had to stop again, sooner than we would’ve wanted to. But at least this time we got to a place that was closer to civilization.   
We found ourselves standing outside a very beautiful looking building that read ‘Utah State Capitol Building’

I pointed out the obvious fact, “Looks like we are in Utah, so does anyone know how close we are from Oakland?”  
Nico said, “Well I’ve never really been good with geography but I think we’re pretty close.”  
Will added, “Yes we are very close, but it’s still a days worth of travel using public transport. That is we don’t stop at all and it’s clear that we are not going to be shadow traveling again.”  
I laughed and agreed, “You don’t have to tell me twice, but Nico did you feel something weird about this time?”  
He nodded and said, “I’ve never felt it before, but it was like the shadows were trying to pull us out and make us stop using them.”  
Will seemed confused because he said, “I didn’t feel anything wrong, in fact I felt easier this time around.”  
Well if things weren’t already confusing, we had another problem added into the mix.  
But I tried to put that behind and deal with it later so I proclaimed, “Well I really think we should find a safe place to rest up. I mean we got a lot of money, we could book a hotel room for a day.”  
They seemed uneasy at my idea and cautioned, “We could do that but the risk of mortals getting hurt isn’t worth it.”  
  
I agreed because I myself didn’t want innocent people to get hurt, but I was still very tired and wanted to sleep.  
I said, “Well can we find a place to sleep in a nearby park or something because shadow traveling has drained me.”  
Will laughed and said, “Sure let’s see if we can get to a park or somewhere else, Nico you’ll be resting too.”  
He didn’t seem too keen on that but when you’re tired it doesn’t matter much.  
We walked for a while and I was mesmerized by the beauty of the whole location. I mean living in Dubai, I had a lot of fun and saw some great stuff but this was better in a different way.  
After about half an hour of looking around, we found ourselves at the Memory Grove Park.  
I exclaimed, “Well I guess we could find a bench here or at least some grass to rest on.”  
Nico added, “Also if we could find a place to get some food because I am a little hungry.”  
Will laughed and said, “Well I guess we could maybe find some food but you both need to rest up.”

There was a small taco joint, so we went inside and ordered some tacos, I asked for a simple beef taco after the cashier reassured me that it was halal certified.  
We ate which I was kind of grateful for because I hadn’t realized how hungry I really was.  
Then we walked around the park and I asked a question, “How do you think Percy, Annabeth and Piper are doing?”  
Apparently, no one had thought about that so Will decided, “Let’s send them an Iris message and see what they are up to.”  
We created a mist using the lake and deposited a drachma but when we asked to see Percy and the rest of the crew, we got no response as if Iris had decided to take a vacation.  
Nico said, “Hmm that’s weird. First the shadows are making it hard for us to travel through them, now we can’t send an Iris message.”  
Will added, “This must be one of Tartarus’ ploys to stop us doing our job or make it impossible for us.”  
I though about the idea and shuddered but something was still very off about the whole Shadow travel thing so I questioned.  
“I don’t think Tartarus was the one responsible for the shadow traveling problem, if he was, wouldn’t he have just made us go to his domain and kill us easily?”  
Nico and Will acknowledged my point and said it could be right but we can never be sure because who knows Tartarus’ plan.

The rest of the day was spent surveying the surrounding areas and getting ready to ride from here to Camp Jupiter.  
We found the bus stop, in a relatively bad area of town. Fortunately for us, I discovered a new power as a child (or Champion take your pick) of Hades.  
When we were walking around a guy tried to mug us, we did not want to get robbed but neither did we want to kill him or hurt him.   
I remembered reading about how people would generally be scared of Nico and Hades so I tried to use it to my advantage and I tried to make scary vibes emanate of me.  
To my surprise, it worked like a charm. The guy become as pale as a ghost and started muttering about how he was sorry and would never do the same mistake again.  
I didn’t focus my energy on Will but regardless he looked shaken up as well, yet it had no effect on Nico.  
He realized something, “Oh so that’s why during my initial years, everyone was afraid of me. I didn’t even realize children of Hades had this ability.”  
So we both found out that we had a very powerful ability, but I mean come on children of Hades are definitely the most powerful and the rarest but I may be being biased here.

We sat in the bus which said that it would take us as far as Rono, Nevada but we would have to stop 3 times in the middle and the whole journey was estimated to take half a day.  
I told Nico and Will to sleep and rest, because I would be talking first watch and making sure there are no monsters sneaking up on us.  
Both of them were very tired so they did not argue and Nico made me promise that I would wake them up if there was any problem.  
After I promised them that I would, Nico rested his head against the window and Will put his head on Nico’s shoulder.  
I was happy for them and I was especially happy for Nico. I had known him for a few days but he was important to me.  
They fell asleep and only a few minutes later, I was very bored with nothing to do.  
So I took out my Falcata and hoped that the Mist would cover me examining a three foot pure Stygian Iron sword.  
In retrospect, that was a very dumb move on my part. Sure, monsters are scared of Stygian Iron but even if they didn’t smell a child of Apollo and two children of Hades traveling together, now they knew that because I was parading my sword around.  
A few hours passed with nothing out of the ordinary happening, Nico and Will were still asleep and even though I was tired, I decided to let them rest for however long they needed to.

Unfortunately, for all of the riders on the bus, it broke down in a very remote town with nothing more than a grocery that read, ‘Hazen Market’  
The bus driver announced, “I apologize for the inconvenience but it seems as of the bus has broken down, and I would require all of the passengers to vacate the vehicle.”  
I woke Nico and Will up and explained the situation. They didn’t seem too pleased to be stuck in the middle of nowhere.  
As we got off the bus I noticed a woman covered in a veil looking towards our direction and giving us all an eyeful even though her face was covered.   
The woman felt a little scary and I didn’t like us being stalked. I voiced my concerns to my friends,  
They didn’t feel very worried but still promised to keep an eye out and make sure we’re not being followed.

After a few minutes of waiting around, it was clear that the driver would not be able to fix the bus because he apologized.  
“I’m sorry but the bus will not be working, we will call in a replacement bus but until then you all will have to wait here.”  
The woman who had been studying us came over and talked in a middle eastern accent but it sounded fake, “Hello children I hope you don’t mind me asking a question.”  
I was already on edge and Nico perked up as well, I don’t know what got over me but I felt forced to answer her even though my mind was clearly against it because I didn’t want to attract attention to us.  
Will felt it too, however he cracked and answered, “Yes Ma’am we don’t mind helping you out.”  
Right as he said that, he looked confused as if he wasn’t in control of what he just did.  
He stuttered out, “Wha...umm....What just happened? What did I just say?” Well that wasn’t what we were hoping would happen because the woman grinned widely which I noticed only because of the movement of the veil covering her face.

The woman introduced herself, “My name is Aunty Em, and I wanted to ask you all if those swords of yours are particularly dangerous. Last I remember Stygian Iron can only be handled by Children of Hades.”  
We were all caught by surprise and no one said anything for a a solid minute or two.  
Aunty Em laughed, “And none of you fools have recognized me yet. What can I expect from half-bloods.”  
I spluttered out, “Who are you? And how do you know about us, doesn’t the mist obscure us and our weapons.”  
She spat back, “Who I am? It does not concern you. However, Master Tartarus would be very happy if I bring in a son of Apollo, and two children of Hades, especially those of the prophecy.”  
Nico shot back, “Well unfortunately it looks like you won’t be taking us anywhere but you will definitely go back to Tartarus empty handed.”  
The woman started cackling, “Now I will be very clear with you all. If you don’t follow me, I will kill all of these mortals. How would you like innocent people dying? I suppose you would love it, Nico and Abdur.”  
I bit my tongue and looked at my friends, we knew that we were cornered and if we don’t follow demands, it wouldn’t be very pretty.  
Reluctantly I said, “Fine we will follow you only if you swear not to hurt the mortals.”  
She scowled and said, “Yes whatever I promise not to hurt these mortals. Now follow me children.”

We were lead to an Abandoned building, it looked very old with the paint scraped off from most of the parts of the building and a lot of the building materials were broken down.  
She took us to the lobby and announced, “Well children I would like you to meet a comrade of mine.”  
As she said that something bellowed from the other side of the lobby which was draped in darkness.  
The creature who made the sound stepped forward. It was the Minotaur. The beast was covered in fur from the belly button to the top. He was wearing armor and had a double sided axe shaped like an Omega.  
I wasn’t expecting this so I stuttered out, “Is...Is..Is that a Minotaur? I though it would still been reforming.”  
Aunty Em growled, “It seems as if Chiron has really lost his ways, does he not properly train half-bloods anymore. What happened to the likes of Heracles?”  
Will got angry and shot back, “Do not insult our instructor, Chiron is a hundred times better than you.”  
The woman laughed, “If it was so then why did he not tell you that names have power. Pasipahë’s Son doesn’t like the name you use.”

I knew that I had made a mistake taking his name and now I might’ve made him more angry.  
The woman looked at me as if she was reading my mind, “Children have you still not recognized me?”  
I had recognized her and I started speaking which left a bad aftertaste on my tongue, “You are the cursed Gorgon, Medusa.”  
The woman went crazy laughing, “You’re correct but what gave it away?”  
I muttered under my breath so only those nearby would hear, “I don’t think there could’ve been anyone uglier.”  
Medusa sneered at me, “Well I really want any one of you to survive Pasiphaë’s child and face me because it’s been a long while since I’ve killed a demigod.”  
As she said that she moved aside and let the Minotaur charge at us. He was very quick and on his first charge almost knocked Will over.  
But we realized that the Minotaur was quicker than us however he could not take the turns so his sides would be vulnerable.  
Will and Nico also understood this so I shouted, “You both try to distract him and I’ll stab him in the side.”

They nodded and started distracting the Minotaur but it become apparent he was smarter than we thought.  
Because he didn’t charge at them rather he turned to the side where I was standing and he galloped at full speed, punching me as hard as he could.  
I only remember flying a few feet back right onto a wall, I’m not sure how I survived that much less not get knocked out.  
My chest exploded in pain and my vision started blurring almost instantaneously.   
I could taste the saltiness of the blood which was flowing freely in my mouth. I always made fun of the people in the novels describing blood as having a taste of iron but now I realized how accurate they were.  
I told my self, “Pain was just an illusory sensation that my mind could shut down if it needed to, I had to put it aside. My friends needed me.”  
The Minotaur was towering over me with his Omega Axe, I tried to channel my powers to summon the undead to protect me but I couldn’t even breath without severe chest pain.  
The ground started shaking as the Minotaur raised his axe like an executioner finishing the job.

Skeletal arms started grabbing at the Beast who got distracted for long enough and allowed Will to pull me away.  
I saw Nico who was doing his best to summon as many skeletons and undead. Will set me next to him and started shooting the Minotaur with his bow, thankfully it was still distracted.  
I took a deep breath. It hurt my ribcage. I exhaled, inhaled again, inched my arms under me and pushed myself up on my hands and knees.   
My head swam. I felt my stomach tighten and felt like throwing up but stopped my self from doing so.  
I was still in enormous pain and trouble but the adrenaline had started to kick in. It was fight or flight and I choose to fight.  
I started summoning even more Skeletons and Shades, then I pulled out my sword and tried to channel my power through it since Stygian Iron is very useful for that purpose.  
The Minotaur realized what we were trying to do and got angered by that so he charged at us once more but this time I was ready for the stupid bull.   
As he approached, Nico and Will has moved aside early and didn’t realize what I was about to do so they shouted at me to turn away or jump to the side, I screamed that I had a plan.

What followed was arguably one of the best things I had done. I sidestepped at the last second and brought my sword into the Minotaur who was shocked to have been defeated.   
However, when he saw what material the sword was made out of, I could’ve sworn, I saw him start to worry.  
He turned to dust but my sword sucked all of it up which gave it an ominous purple glow.   
Nico came over and started worrying over me which I didn’t expect him to do and he warned me not to do something stupid again.   
Will came over and put his arm around Nico and congratulated me for killing the monster but he was worried because I was seriously hurt.

However, we all forgot one important thing which came back to hurt us because the woman had returned and started laughing at us.  
“I was honestly not expecting any of you to survive this incursion, especially you Abdur, I can definitely see why you are the Champion chosen. But alas now the time has come to kill all of you.”  
I reminded everyone, “Guys don’t look into her eyes, otherwise well turn to stone.”  
Will acknowledged me, “Yea well to kind of hard to forget what will happen if you face Medusa.”  
Nico remarked, “But how do we kill her? We don’t have anything reflective to see her and it dark in here.”  
Medusa laughed at us again, “Stupid Children it is pointless bickering because you cannot kill me.”  
I tried to make her angry, “Yea well Percy did a fine good job, I don’t think Poseidon or his Children really like you.”  
She hissed at me which was accentuated by her snakes following suit, “I was thinking of having mercy on you but now you will suffer a fate worse than Death.”  
I laughed at her which confused Will but Nico understood what I was trying to do, “Yea well news-flash for you, I’m the Champion of the God of the Dead. But you are nothing.”  
She was confused by my tactics as well, “What are you trying to do dumb Half-Blood.”  
Nico helped me out, “Medusa you must be joking with yourself, have you still not realized how powerful we actually are.”  
The Gorgon started laughing, “I am not as dumb as Pasiphaë’s child was nor am I as prideful as Arachne.”  
And just like that my plan fell through the roof, I was hoping that Medusa would get angry and make a foolish mistake.  
She started uncovering her veil so I told Nico and Will to avert their gaze. I was really hoping for a miracle here.  
The cursed Gorgon started walking towards us as the snakes in her hair started hissing more loudly.  
She mocked us while walking, “Why do you consistently help the Olympian’s? Abdur you do know that you were not allowed to be made a half-blood.”  
I tried not to let it get to me but I must’ve done a very bad job because her voice perked up.  
“Don’t you understand, if you do somehow defeat Tartarus, the Olympian Council will have a vote and who do you think will support you. Hades is not even an Olympian.”  
Well that last line infuriated me and Nico both as we started clenching our swords even harder.   
  
I could feel her standing right in front of me even though my eyes were closed the Vipers consistently nipped at my face trying to get me to open my eyes.  
Medusa laughed, “Abdur please make this easy for your self, open your eyes and I promise not to do anything to your statue.”  
I shot back sarcastically, “Yeaaa...it’s a good deal but I think so I will have to take a hard pass on that.”  
She got closer and closer and then finally said, “I guess I will just have to do this then.”  
I felt her hand rise as if the shadows themselves were embracing me and telling me what to do.   
Nico felt it too because he tensed and then said, “Abdur duck, roll out of the way, just do anything to move.”  
Having already done so, I repeated the warning to them, Nico and Will must’ve realized that I also had this ability.  
However, my pain had decided to return to me end though it felt as if the darker the place I was in such as a shadow, the more it would heal me so moment by moment I was discovering new abilities.

I tried to channel my energy one last time and open up a fissure below Medusa which would be low enough for me to easily reach her head and slice it off.  
My plan worked like a charm because all of a sudden, I heard Medusa screaming and judging from the sounds I rushed towards her and cut her head off.  
With a slimy thud it fell to the ground and the sound of hissing snakes retreated completely.   
I hadn’t realized how hard I was breathing until that moment when I felt in the clear to open my eyes but not look down.   
I asked them if they had a sack or a bag of some sorts to cover this head because we did not need to look at it.  
They pointed out a paper bag and I held up the head and put it inside the paper bag.  
But I wasn’t satisfied with that because it could be used as a very powerful weapon.  
I decided to burn it as a sacrifice to the Gods for helping us out in the battle. (Or at least I hoped they helped us)  
After that was taken care of, we made our way outside the building, casually talking about what just transpired.   
I was still in immense pain and fighting Medusa did not help me at all, my body was on fire and consequently felt like it was being trampled on by a bull which is what happened.  
Will pointed out, “Abdur it looks like you’re reaching all your powers just now.”

I laughed it off but I agreed with him and Nico said that he would try his best to help me channel my powers and perfect them.  
I thanked him and told him that I would definitely take him up on that offer whenever we get time.  
We had made our way to where the bus had broken down and it was still there.   
I guess my luck ran out because as soon as I reached the Bus, I collapsed in pain.   
My skin felt like it was on fire and a tingling sensation started under it which felt like thousands of ants crawling under it.   
I didn’t want to attract any more unnecessary attention to ourselves so I tried not to scream.

When I told Nico and Will, what was happening, they looked very concerned and Will started examining me and my symptoms.   
I felt very happy that we had a healer with us since he got down to the root of the problems almost instantly.  
There were a few bite marks on my arm, the snakes of Medusa’s head must’ve bitten me while I tried to cut her head off.  
I still don’t get what it was with snakes being loyal to their mother. I though snakes were symbolic for Dishonesty.  
Will was still concerned because he said I was starting to get a fever. And I agreed because I was burning up.  
He gave me some Ambrosia which I gladly ate, I started feeling better but I could still feel the poison in me.


	11. Abdur

However, the worst part of me getting hurt was that we got distracted. In a blink of the eye, something very quick passed by us and disarmed all of us. All our weapons lay a few feet away from us.  
The person who did this stood behind the weapons, covered with a golden Gorgon’s mask.  
Nico muttered out in disgust, “I thought we would’ve had enough of seeing Gorgons.”  
The person laughed, “Oh don’t worry child of Hades, soon enough you won’t be seeing anything.”  
I pointed out, “Well I don’t know who you are but we just killed Medusa and The Minotaur. So I don’t think you’re a match.”  
The boy seemed angry at my remarks, “Obviously you do not know who I am but don’t worry soon enough you and everyone in the future will fear me for what I did.”

I stood up again, most of the pain having retreated. My chest was still healing but I realized that Children of Hades or Pluto have a very big advantage during Night or in places of Darkness.  
The boy continued, “I am The Golden Warrior, Chrysaor. And it looks like you’ve killed my mother.”  
I quickly remembered reading about him, “But weren’t you a pirate or something?”  
Chrysaor growled back, “And that is exactly why I shall kill you all. No one knows me, I am greater than Heracles himself yet he only gets all the remembrance.”  
Nico shot back, “Well I remember Percy telling me about how the crew on the Argo II defeated you.”  
This was the straw that broke the camels back for Chrysaor, because he lunged at us in lightning fast speeds.  
Will was standing next to me but when I looked over, he wasn’t there but rather getting punched by Chrysaor who somehow dragged him in a matter of seconds.  
Nico got super mad, he clenched his hands together and said, “Give. Will. Back. NOW.”  
The Golden Warrior just laughed, “Unfortunately for you that will not be possible.”  
I could see Nico was about to do something rash but Chrysaor must’ve realized that before me because in a flash he disappeared from Will and somehow hit Nico with the hilt of his blade and made him fall to the ground.

That was the limit for me. No one hurts Nico like that and then gets away with it.   
I snapped and started screaming at Chrysaor, the ground around me started turning white with frost, it was traveling very quickly and it reached Chrysaor who had no idea, what to do so he stayed put which only turned him into an icicle.   
I fell to the ground in a loud thud, with Nico and Will running to my side. They were bruised but seemed more worried for me.  
And it was apparent because my body had started becoming a little ghostly, almost a little transparent.  
Nico warned me, “Abdur that’s it, you are not using your powers again. If you use them too much, you could fade from existence.”  
I agreed and said that I wouldn’t. I told them to go get our weapons and then asked what should we do to Chrysaor.   
No one had any good suggestion so we left him as is and hoped that he wouldn’t thaw out for some time.   
Nico was surprised of how much ice I generated, “I mean I remember when I got super angry, the ground around me started frosting up but I’ve never done this much.”

I wasn’t sure myself but all I knew was that someone was trying to harm my family and no one gets away with it.  
I thought that we would be safe for some time, but unfortunately it would not be that easy. It never is.  
As Nico was checking over Will for his cuts and Will was trying to convince him that he’s fine by hugging him.  
Another laughed emanated from near the Ice Cube, “It looks like you’ve killed my dad and my grandmother.”  
I looked at the ice cube to find a very tall person standing next to it. He was easily taller than the ice cube.  
He was hideous, his face was normal enough besides it being very ugly and covered in huge open pores. He had a pencil thin mustache with slick black hair.  
His legs were very oversized and beefy for a normal human but they fit him perfectly.  
But the weirdest part about him was definitely his chest or chests, to be more accurate.   
He had 3 chest that were connected together, each part was covered with a different color shirt. Red, Yellow and Green.  
He looked like a traffic light with his mismatched shirts. I wasn’t really excited to face another monster.  
The Man smiled at Nico, “Aren’t you gonna welcome me Di Angelo? I mean I gave you safe passage from my ranch.”  
Nico sneered at him, “Geryon I thought you’d take at least a hundred years to reform. And don’t call me Di Angelo. Neither is that ranch yours, Eurytion is the owner now.”  
Geryon chuckled, “Thank you for reminding me. But Eurytion isn’t a priority to me for now.”  
Will shot back, “Yea so what is a priority? Killing us, if so I’m sorry to say but three monsters that are more impressive than you have already tried to do so and failed.”  
Geryon scowled but then calmed down, “Well I have one skill that all those did not. Negotiation.”  
Will got angrier and started shouting, “And what makes you think that we will even think of talking to you.”  
Geryon was getting madder by the second, “Well all good businessmen need a fool-proof option,’ He said as he snapped his fingers. ‘My little trick so happens to be a Nemean Lion.”

With a loud growl, a lion, the size of a pick-up truck, prowled out from behind Geryon.   
It had complete gold fur, that complimented the pure silver claws and fangs that gleamed like stainless steal.  
Geryon knew he had us between Charybdis and Scylla, so he ventured again, “How about talking things over now?”  
Nico knew none of us were in any condition to fight so he reluctantly said, “Geryon what are your conditions?”  
He grinned knowing we were working with him, “Well they’re really simple, you give me the Champion of Hades there,’ he said pointing to me. ‘And I leave you both alone, to sweeten it for you Master Tartarus will let you both live together.”  
No one said anything for a solid minute, but I had decided I was going to let myself go so they could escape.  
Until Nico spoke, “Geryon there’s the difference between Monsters and people who fight for the good cause.”  
Geryon laughed at the notion but wanted Nico to continue so he didn’t say anything.  
Nico continued, “I lost everyone I loved. I lost Bianca, my only reminisce of a normal family. But then I get a brother here, and I know one thing for sure. I won’t ever give up on him.”  
He drew his sword and dared Geryon to try to take me from him. The rancher laughed and whistled at the Lion.

It charged at us, Will was trying to use his bow to shoot it but all of the arrows deflected off it’s hide.  
Every skeleton I summoned was broken into a pile of bones in mere seconds. I remember that it only had a few weak spots.  
So I did something very dumb and charged at the lion but I was expecting it to open it’s mouth and let me stab it there.  
The lion did the opposite of that and swatted at me with its paw. I flew a few feet and skidded across the rough concrete.  
Before I could process what happened, my body exploded in pain. Each and every part felt like it was being tortured a 100 different ways.   
My vision was blurry to the point I could only see the lion because of its golden skin.   
My ears were ringing and I could only hear distant screams but not discern what they were saying.  
It took me a few minutes to recover and when my vision cleared, I saw Nico and Will trying to fight the Nemean Lion but failing.  
If I thought my chest had hurt before, it was in no comparison to what I was going through now.  
I tried to inhale and exhale but the mere motion of doing that felt like my ribs were crumbling.

On the other hand, Nico and Will needed my assistance otherwise the Nemean Lion would get 3 demigods for dinner.  
I stood up which hurt my legs to the point where I almost fell back down. My sword was still with me.  
This might sound heroic on paper but in reality when every part of your body is in pain, it really is hard to do things like this.  
I started running towards the Lion which Nico was distracting and Will trying to get a shot into its mouth.  
When I had approached it from behind, I was hoping it wouldn’t notice me because I found a very small soft spot on its paw.  
I was planning on hitting that spot with my sword and if it yelped in pain, Will would shoot an arrow into its mouth, killing it.  
My plan worked wonderfully, I hit the Lion on the paw and it roared in pain but it still found a way to kick me with its hind legs.   
I must’ve flown a few more feet and this time I wouldn’t be standing back up because I lost control of my body, I couldn’t feel any part of it but I somehow felt pain.  
I heard two enraged screams over the ringing and I saw the golden figure of the lion dissipate.

For a few minutes I laid still, thinking my life would’ve been over by now. I was drifting in and out of consciousness.  
Finally, I lost the battle and found my self unconscious and in a dream. I was near a camp of some sorts.  
It was like Camp Half-Blood but more impressive, stronger. There was a river winding around the entrance.  
I think it would’ve been more impressive if it wasn’t under attack by giant mechanical bulls.  
A voice that I had heard once boomed, “Is this where you are going Abdur? Don’t you understand, it’s useless.”  
I stuttered out, “Is this Camp Jupiter? But why is it under attack. Why are you doing this Tartarus?”  
He laughed and started showing me a different scene of Percy and Annabeth being attacked by a Manticore.  
Both of them were lined with spikes and neither looked ready to continue or even try to fight.

I was speechless but Tartarus continued, “That was a few hours ago and the Camp Jupiter attack group will reach by tomorrow.”  
I didn’t want to believe him but I knew that this would happen. I started trying to get myself away and wake up.  
He allowed me to get away but not without mocking me, “I am the Pit, I am everywhere. You shall die to me.”  
I woke up to Nico and Will standing over me. Nico looked extremely worried for me and Will wasn’t any better himself.  
Surprisingly, I was feeling way better and my mouth had a pleasant aftertaste of Ice Cream cake.  
Nico gave me a hug which I don’t think he did a lot, maybe only for Hazel and Will but I was happy to be his brother.  
I laughed which hurt my chest, “Hey you’re not getting rid of me that easily or at least I hope so.”  
He just smiled back. Will brought me up to date on what happened, “Well your plan worked brilliantly, I shot an arrow into the mouth of the Nemean Lion and it fell leaving this behind.”   
He showed me the pelt that the lion had left as its Spoil of War. I told him he could keep it.  
But then I asked, “What about Geryon? Where is he now or did you guys already finish him?”  
Nico explained, “Well let’s just say he’s back in the underworld and my dad won’t have mercy.”

I remembered my dream and started explaining what I saw of how the camps were under attack and the other group was in trouble.  
They got worried and said that we should send Iris Messages so we tried it to no avail.  
I was getting angrier by the second, we had gone through so much and we couldn’t even send a warning.  
Once we realized it was hopeless, we started walking towards the bus and we just made it in time to get back in.  
The driver had gotten it fixed and was apologizing for the delays, we didn’t care and just got back into our seats.

I was having some more nectar because my body was still in pain, we got to our seats and this time I took the window.  
We rode in complete silence for a few hours, Will had fallen asleep but I was still up, mainly because of the pain, even though I was completely exhausted and needed sleep.  
I decided to ask Nico a question that had been on the back of my mind for a long while.  
“Nico I’m sorry if this might be a little personal and I don’t want you to answer if you don’t want to but did you mean it when you said that I was family to you and you wouldn’t give up on me.”  
I caught him off-guard because he portrayed a defensive look on his face which I knew because I myself used it a lot of times when I did not want to answer.  
But he dropped it quickly and continued, “Abdur....’ he took a deep breath. ‘Bianca was my sister when I lost her, I would rather it have been me, but then I got Hazel and in a way I got a sister again.”   
He paused before continuing, “Don’t tell anyone that I was speaking like this but you and Hazel are my brother and sister and I would do anything to protect you.”  
I smiled and gave him a hug, “Nico I promise to not tell anyone but I am so grateful to have you as a sibling.”  
I don’t think he was used to being hugged because he looked a little uncomfortable but then eased into it.  
Nico smiled and said, “Hey you should probably get some sleep. I’ll take first watch.”  
I wanted to protest but he wouldn’t take no for an answer so I told him to wake me up in a few hours.  
  
Surprisingly, I had no dreams whatsoever. So when I was woke up a few hours later, I was refreshed.  
Nico was still awake so I asked him, “So how long was I asleep and how much time is left for us to arrive?”  
He answered, “You’ve been asleep for 3 hours and we still have 5 more before we reach there.”  
I thanked him then told him, “Hey Nico you’re gonna get some sleep now, I’m taking guard duty till we reach there.”  
He was reluctant but eventually relented because he was really tired. He closed his eyes and drifted off.  
And there I was waiting to reach Oakland so we can get all the people we needed.  
I was hoping the other group weren’t having as much bad luck with monsters as we were.


	12. Abdur

When we had finally arrived near the Oakland Hills, I woke everyone up and told them of our arrival.  
We got off the bus as the sun was rising. I was feeling hungry and so were the rest of my friends.  
Will asked, “Before we get to Camp Jupiter, could we get some food and maybe go to the restroom?”  
I added, “Yea sure the restrooms are there, if you want to go.” I pointed towards the toilets.  
Nico said that he did not need to go either but he would wait for Will outside. I agreed and said that I’d go look for a place to get food.  
I found a McDonald’s about 2 minutes from where we were so I waited for Nico and Will to get refreshed and come over.  
After a few minutes, they walked over to where I was standing and we continued to the McDonald’s.  
We entered and made our way to the register and ordered 3 happy meals. The attendant was giving us weird looks so I said, “What, can we not order happy meals?”  
He didn’t say anything after that but when we were being given our bags he asked, “Would you like the toy with it as well? It’s Mythomagic.”  
I smiled and told him to add the toy as well and give the bags to us as takeaway.  
When we left the store Will burst into laughter, “Oh the poor guy, he must’ve been so confused. I mean 3 kids with ripped shirts and bruises everywhere enter and order Happy Meals.”  
We all laughed but then I said, “Should we get some new clothes? The last thing we need is CPS taking us away.”  
They agreed and said that after we’re done eating, we could go get some clothes.  
I opened my Happy Meal to get a figurine of Hades. I said, “4000 attack power. 5000 if opponent attacks first.”  
I got a smile out of Nico, who got a Manticore, “Three thousand attack power, +5 to saving throws.”  
Will opened his Happy Meal, “It’s Apollo but I’ve never played so would one of you help me out?”  
Nico punched him on his shoulder lightly and said, “+30 health and 2000 defense, Sunshine.”  
Will punched him back and laughed, “Don’t sunshine me, it’s my job to sunshine you.”  
After finishing our food, we started looking for a mall or a clothes shop of some sorts and we finally found one, after walking two blocks away from the McDonald’s.  
We entered and slightly split off towards the sections of our cloth preferences.  
Nico and I found ourselves in a section with the darker leather clothes. I picked out a plain black shirt with a skull on it, denim jeans, a brown aviators jacket with a set of black fingerless leather gloves and matching leather boots. I was looking snazzy.  
Nico picked up an identical style but his shirt was brown and his jacket was black with no gloves or boots.  
One of the staff came over and when they saw me adjusting my sword, they just smiled and said nice toy.  
I found Will wearing a plain orange shirt below a unbuttoned green Hawaiian Shirt with some plain jeans to complement the outfit.  
We paid for our clothes and left the store feeling confident that we won’t get stopped by officials.

When we were back on the sidewalk, I asked our group, “So does anyone have an idea on where Camp Jupiter is?”  
Nico answered my question, “The main entrance is through the Caldecott Tunnel’s maintenance route.”  
Will added, “Good so we have a destination but now we just need to know where we are.”  
I replied, “Well we could just ask the shop owner or clerk for directions, they will probably know the way.”  
They agreed and we entered the shop, we asked the person sitting near the reception about the Caldecott Tunnel.  
He told us that it’s a 15 minute walk from here, gave us a map and then specified the route to be taken.  
After following the route and a 15 minute walk, we found ourselves standing near a tunnel which was packed to the brim with traffic.  
We located the maintenance entrance being guarded by two legionaries in full Roman Armor.  
One of them stopped us and told us to identify ourselves and what we think we’re doing.  
Nico hesitantly said, “Nico Di Angelo and Abdur. Ambassadors to Pluto,’ he pointed at himself then me. “Will Solace, Son of Apollo.” He then pointed at Will who just waved.  
The legionaries were suspicious of us but then decided to take us inside where we crossed the bridge that went over the Little Tiber. 

It was honestly a little breathtaking, the whole surrounding area was very developed with paved roads.  
The only downside I could see was the countless amount of Lares flying by. A few of them were giving us dirty looks and calling us Graecus.  
I mean it was understandable we were Greeks but I was still an Ambassador to Pluto.  
Also the second demigod war was over and peace was made, these Lares were quite literally stuck in the past.  
As we entered, two people in purple robes made their way towards us. The legionaries greeted them as Praetors.  
Nico hugged Hazel and said, “It’s good to see you again Sis. How are you doing?”  
Hazel laughed and said, “I’m doing fine and it’s good to see you too Nico. How are you doing. Also who is new kid?”  
“Well he’s our brother,’ Nico introduced me. ‘Ambassador to Pluto and Champion of Hades.”  
“Pleased to meet you,’ I held out my hand. ‘I’m Abdur.”  
They shook my hand and Hazel said, “Wait so now I have two brothers?”  
I smiled and agreed, “It looks like it. But that’s not why we’re here, you must’ve had the dreams from Pluto and the other godly parents.”  
Frank added, “Yes albeit mine were from Mars not Pluto but a lot of half bloods got warnings.”  
“Yes so we got a prophecy,’ Will started explaining. ‘But we should probably get to a safer place.”  
Hazel nodded and said, “Frank could you do me a favor and take Will with you to the Principia, I need to show Nico and Abdur something important. We’ll be back to the headquarters in a few minutes.”  
Frank was a little reluctant but still agreed, “Sure I’ll take Will there but don’t take long.”

Hazel, Nico and I started walking away from the Principia when we were at a good distance away from the Headquarters, Hazel said.  
“I’m sorry we had to walk all this way but I didn’t want to be around any of the campers.”  
I comforted her, “Hey no need to apologize, you can say what you need to say.”  
“The thing is that we’ve been facing some...problems,’ The praetor continued. ‘Ever since Tartarus has started to rise, our Lares have been restless.”  
I thought it wasn’t that bad since it didn’t look like the Lares could do any harm to living beings but I didn’t interrupt.  
Hazel carried on explaining, “But that was just the beginning, after that our legionaries started becoming more restless, harder to control.’ She took a moment to breath. ‘I mean all of you got lucky, because the guards were few of the nicer soldiers.”  
Nico was getting a little more concerned so he asked, “Hazel what do you mean nicer soldiers?”  
She sighed and looked visibly distraught, “Some of our soldiers agreed with Octavian’s methods of destroy and conquer the Greeks. We almost had a mutiny last week when the second cohort decided to take things into their hands.”  
I was a little confused so I asked, “Wait but didn’t the Greeks and Romans make peace after Reyna returned the Athena Parthenos.”  
“Well that’s what I hoped for as well,’ Hazel said nodding. ‘But unfortunately the Greco-Roman rivalry is still alive on our side at least and unfortunately the originators are gaining more support.”  
I knew that there must’ve been some influence from Tartarus, I mean there must’ve been.  
Nico read my mind, “I mean there is probably some influence from Tartarus right?”  
Me and Hazel agreed pointing out that nothing too bad had happened for a summer but when he started rising, all this happens.  
Hazel then said, “Well that was one thing I needed to say but I also wanted advice from both of you.”  
We nodded and then Nico said, “Ask ahead Hazel.”  
She took a deep breath before continuing, “Well Abdur if you didn’t know, I was brought back to life by Nico. I was dead, wandering in the fields of Asphodel.”  
I didn’t know how to react so I just tried to be understanding, because for all I knew she was my half-sister and I will support her.  
She continued but seemed happier, probably at the fact that I did not judge her.  
“Well the thing is only a few people know that, and especially with all that is happening, I don’t know what will happen if the Soldiers find out about it. I just need to know, what should I do?”  
Me and Nico were stumped but he confidently said, “Hazel I’m sure no one will say anything, and if they do, we’ll make sure their sorry.”  
Hazel sighed, “Thanks you both but we should probably go back to the Principia, I also wanted to personally warn you to keep distance from our legionaries because I don’t know how the soldiers would feel about more Greeks in camp. I felt as if I owed it to you both as my siblings.”  
We thanked her but I still I wanted to help her in any way because she looked tired as if doing her job as a praetor, in recent times, was draining the energy from her.  
  
But alas, there was nothing I could do because of my Greek lineage, I don’t think the Roman soldiers would take orders.  
We walked back to the Principia via the Praetoria, crossing through the Praetorian Gates back inside to the headquarters.  
A concrete path lead to a two-story wedge of white marble with a columned portico like an old-fashioned bank with Roman guards standing out in front of it.  
Over the doorway, a big purple banner was hanging with the gold letters   
SPQR embroidered inside a laurel wreath.  
It was even more impressive inside, on the ceiling glitters a mosaic of Romulus and Remus, twin founders of Rome, under Lupa.   
The floor was made out of polished marble. The walls, draped in velvet. The Romans were living in luxury.  
Along the back wall stood a display of banners and wooden poles studded with bronze medals, I recognized them as military symbols.  
Out of the corner of my eyes I noticed a a stairwell that lead down and was blocked by a row of iron bars like a prison door.  
In the center of the room, a long wooden table was cluttered with scrolls, notebooks, tablet computers and daggers.  
Will was sting on a chair accompanying the table. Behind the table, there are two high-backed chairs meant for the Praetors.   
Frank was sitting on the one to the left waiting for Hazel, who took her place on the chair to the right.

Frank welcomed all of us again, then asked for us to repeat what we had mentioned about the prophecy.  
I recited, “Ten Half-Bloods shall plunge into darkness  
Son of the sea and daughter of wisdom to lead with starkness  
Children of Hades to meet their fate  
The legacy of Neptune to dictate  
The eternal flame and once cursed to light the way  
Only combined shall there be a ray  
A single mistake to bring the world to raze  
And shall see everyone in a haze  
A sacrifice must be reserved  
Then only Olympus to be preserved”

With each passing line, the praetors got more worried, they were completely speechless as I finished.  
Hazel asked gravely, “Who went to the Oracle to receive the prophecy?”  
I answered, “It was me and the reason I received it was because of a dream I got.”  
That perked everyone up besides Nico and Hazel who seemed like they already knew what I was about to say.  
I started explaining, “Well I was visited by the Fury Alecto, she looked like a weird grandma-bat lady.’ I continued by explaining what she said to me. ‘The odd thing was that the whole kingd—“  
Hazel interrupted me, “The whole kingdom looked weak, didn’t it? Also Pluto is losing strength.”  
I nodded and told her that she was correct. Frank asked a question, “But Hazel, how’d you know?”  
She looked scared but said, “I saw the same things in my dreams and Pluto told me that his kingdom was under attack.” We all understood what she meant.

Frank was still a little confused so he asked, “But what does the prophecy have to do with us?”  
Will explained, “Don’t you get it Frank? Legacy of Neptune and Children of Hades.”  
Frank then corrected, “But I’m a legacy of Poseidon, not Neptune and aren’t the children of Hades, Nico and Abdur?”   
Hazel helped Frank out, “Well in my previous life, Pluto told me that a legacy of Neptune would wash away my curse, and you did.” He blushed a little at that.  
Nico then continued, “And it said Children of Hades, it would’ve said son’s, if it only meant me and Abdur.”  
I agreed and then added a point, “Yes you’re the only other child of Hades in existence.”  
Frank understood what I was hinting at, “Wait so you mean that we have to leave Camp to go on the quest?” I nodded.  
He laughed before realizing I was serious, “No we can’t just leave our spots as Praetors, the senate would implode. Or even worse things could happen.”  
Will vehemently disagreed, “Frank if we don’t succeed on our mission, there will not be a Camp to come back to.”  
Hazel then added, “He’s right Frank, we are going to have to take this to the senate house but we all know what has to be done.”  
Frank also started to see our point of view but before he could say anything, two Roman soldiers rushed in.

The praetors were not pleased but let them explain why they rushed in like that.  
I recognized them as the two half-bloods that were on guard duty at the tunnel.  
One of them spoke frantically, “All of you have got to come now, there is an....issue...at the Caldecott Tunnel.”  
Hazel and Frank looked annoyed and Hazel grumbled, “Are we needed? Or is it just another fight between the soldiers.”  
The other soldier gulped and said, “Praetor Hazel and Frank, there are two Gorgons demanding for all of you by name.”  
That caught all of us by surprise and we started rushing towards the tunnel from where we had entered.

When we finally made our way to the entrance, Roman Guards had surrounded the two Gorgons who were impatiently waiting for us, I passed an assumption.   
Both of the Gorgons had snakes in place of their hair, with bat wings growing from their back and tusks sticking out of the corner of their mouth’s.  
For some reason, both of them were dressed in a CineLux movie theatre’s uniform.  
And the one with green hair was trying to get the Legionaries to go and watch a movie.  
The Gorgon with red hair screamed, “Stheno, the Cinema was only a front, now if you don’t become serious so help me.”  
I actually felt pity for the other Gorgon because she flinched when Euryale screamed at her.

However, I still got my sword out because I did not want to take any risk with monsters.  
The praetors ordered the Roman Soldiers to back off and let us towards the front.  
Soon we were in clear view of the Gorgons and when Euryale looked at me, she sneered.  
“First Percy Jackson, now you. What is it with Heroes killing our sister. I shall make you suffer for what you have done.”  
I chided in with a sarcastic remark, “Yea well the list is pretty big for now, a lot of monster want me dead so you wouldn’t be the first.”  
I think I just annoyed the Gorgon more than anything else but Stheno had got an eyeful of Hazel which perked her up and she kept trying to get the attention of her sister.  
When she finally did and whispered something into Euryale’s ear, both of them smiled at us with malice.

Stheno started singing while pointing at Hazel, “I know your secret, your dirty little secret, I know your secret.”  
Hazel turned as white as a ghost and looked shellshocked.   
Euryale scolded her sister, “The whole Camp probably knows Stheno, it’s not a secret if they know.”  
That left a confused look on the romans that had assembled, one of the officers stepped forward and asked Euryale what she meant.  
The Gorgon feigned ignorance, “Are you sure you don’t know? I thought you would know your praetor’s very well.” She smirked at us knowing we were cornered.  
Frank understood what was happening and interrupted, “Hank she’s tricking you. You’re the centurion of the third cohort, don’t fall for her tricks. She’s trying to divide us.”  
Hank scowled at the Praetor and spoke, “Conquer or Die. Our praetors are supposed to be transparent and should not have secrets, that are against the twelfth legion’s interests. I shall hear her out.”  
  
Euryale smiled coldly and said, “The reason we came here was to give you a fair warning, our army is going to attack this camp before the Greek camp is destroyed”  
All of the soldiers trained their weapons on the Gorgon’s who didn’t even look fazed. Stheno and her snakes hissed at us.  
Euryale yawned and said, “The camp can give up now and no one has to die, we will even swear on the River Styx to not hurt you all, if you forfeit and don’t fight for the Olympians.”  
Frank growled at the Gorgon with Coral Snakes, “The twelfth legion will not even think about surrender.”  
Stheno just laughed, “Changeling Lord, please think about it. Or should I spill the tea.”   
All of us were one step away from killing these Gorgons but we needed information.  
Euryale continued, “We came with that proposition but it looks like we’re going to be showing the real face of your ‘leaders’ because Praetor Haz-“  
Stheno who was acting very excited, interrupted her sister, “Hazel was dead. She was brought back to life.”  
That sent shockwaves to all the Roman Soldiers who let their guard down and their weapons.  
The Gorgon’s were smirking and laughing at us crazily. Centurion Hank had a wide grin on his face.

I had enough so I lunged at Euryale and slashed at her with my sword, she turned to dust which was sucked up by my sword increasing the purple glowing emanating from it.  
Stheno was caught by surprise and barely stammered out, “You...you...killed both my sisters.” Before lunging at me only to be met by Nico’s sword.  
“Guess they won’t be coming back now.” I jokingly pointed out, referencing our swords.  
While I was proud of what I had done, Centurion Hank was not so easy to it because he grabbed me by my collar and screamed, “What is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?”  
Hank was easily a few inches taller than me and he looked at me with pure hatred but I wasn’t going to let him push me over like this.  
I summoned five skeletons to surround him and then I calmly said, “Hank we have more important matters on our hands so let me go.”  
Nico and Will were also standing by my side with their weapons drawn while the Roman soldiers stood behind their Centurion.

Just when it seemed the battle would get worse, Frank turned into a Grizzly Bear and roared which brought back discipline in a weird way.  
Hazel announced, “Enough we will talk about this at another time because currently we are to prepare for war.”  
Centurion Hank spat at the ground and let me go, “Praetor Hazel we will definitely come back to this so I would like you to enjoy your last battle as a praetor.”  
I got angry and shot back, “Yea and who’s going to take her place? A bone-head like you.”  
He just snickered at me, “Don’t worry the Senate will decide that and as for you, I wouldn’t want the third cohort as an enemy.”  
As he said that the soldiers followed him back into camp leaving us there wondering how bad the battle would be.


	13. Piper

Calypso asked Leo to stop Festus at a nearby Gas Station, he seemed confused but obliged. Calypso said after we got off, “Piper I know this might not be the right time but we’ve got to be clear about some things.” I understood where this conversation was about to go, I wasn’t too keen on giving answers but Annabeth helped Calypso. “Piper she’s right, we’re a team and we should know what Medea did or said, it might be important.” I was touched by their concerns, especially Calypso, who even tough barely knowing me showed sympathy. Percy looked like he was about to say something but I just sighed and started to explain. “When Medea took me to the stadium, she said that I would regret trying to fight against her, and she showed me how the fight against the Manticore was going. I was honestly worried that both of you would not make it.” Leo politely joked with a lot of ego, “I don’t think they would’ve either, thankfully we were there to save them.” Percy tried to lighten the mood by laughing and saying, “Very humble of you Admiral Leo.” I continued, “Well after you got saved, Medea decided to do a better job with me and starting sending in Monsters, while using the speaker system to tell me it was my fault that Jason died.” I started feeling a lump in my throat form. Annabeth added while putting a hand on her shoulder, “Piper it’s ok, you can take your time.” I thanked her and nodded before continuing. “When I was tired from the fights, she sent in a mist form of herself, but I didn’t know that and went crazy trying to finish her.’ I took a moment to breath. ‘After I was sure she was dead, she started laughing over the speaker system and mocking me....she showed me Jason’s death over and over again.” At this point I had started to tear up while Annabeth and Calypso were comforting me. (I felt terrible, not only because of Jason’s loss but also because I was holding our group back) I knew Jason’s death had hit everyone hard but to me I felt like his death was my fault. I just wanted to leave everything and go back to Oklahoma and just live a normal life. Percy and Leo looked like they were a little uncomfortable and then muttered something about leaving to secure the area. After a few minutes, I had felt way better. I just needed to vent to my closest friends, the people I trust. The boys had made their way back, telling us that we should probably try to send an Iris Message to Camp Jupiter and Nico’s Group. We all liked that idea and Leo pointed out that we could probably use the Car Wash to create a mist. Before we entered, Calypso had a question for us, “So has this new demigod in Nico’s group been claimed?” Annabeth nodded and explained, “Well he’s more of a champion and has a patron god, Hades.” Leo and Calypso nodded with respect. “Wait so does that mean we have two death boys?’ Then Leo laughed. ‘Oh and if the new one’s anything like Nico.” He grinned real wide at all of us. Calypso laughed, “Oh Leonidas please do not be so immature. What will they think of you?” “Come on Sunshine,’ Leo playful teased Calypso. ‘I mean they’re already used to me joking around.” Calypso just held his hand and changed the topic, “So what is the new half-bloods name?” We informed her that his name was Abdur. After they got to know his name, we moved into the car wash ready to send an Iris Message. After trying a few times to send an Iris Message, we didn’t reach either Camp or Nico’s group. We were about to walk away before a deep voice started speaking, “You have tried to reach R.O.F.L, unfortunately, Iris is under hostage and will not be let go. So what will you do Heroes.” All of us were very confused, we just looked at each other, and Percy decided to speak, “Who are you?” We got no reply. And judging by Percy’s facial expressions, the voice seemed familiar to him. He shouted again to no avail, “Hey I asked you a question. Who are you and what have you done to Iris.” Annabeth reminded him, “Percy we shouldn’t stay for long, for all we know Medea is following us.” I muttered under her breath, “I dare that witch to show her face to me again.” We left the car wash and sat on Festus again, who seemed agitated and looked like he wanted to leave now. As we took off, Leo asked Percy, “So where are we heading, did you get any rough location in your dream?” He seemed like he hated to disappoint but then told Leo that he did not know where Nico’s group were but we have to go towards Camp Jupiter as it’s our safest bet. Leo announced to no one in particular because everyone was distracted, “Oakland Hills, here we come.” Leo and Calypso were at the foremost seats discussing the way there and just gazing at the roads and fields. Percy and Annabeth were right behind them, joking and goofing around with each other. It was nice to see my friends so happy but I was just thinking if I had made the right decision, dumping Jason. On one hand, he was the nicest and most thoughtful person I knew but on the other hand, I had felt forced into our relationship. Hera on one side wanting me to settle down with Jason and my mom asking for the opposite. But I knew clearly that what we would be doing, had no influence. Tartarus deserved a cruel death. I decided to sleep for some time because I was exhausted after going through Medea’s Stadium. I fell asleep and was met with a grisly sight in my dreams. Jason was being stabbed between his shoulders by Caligula. I had seen it too many times, but it still hurt me. This time however someone laughed at me. It sounded like mountains cracking in half, I don’t know what got over me but I wanted to just crawl in a hole and stop doing anything. “Piper McLean why do you still continue.’ The person who was laughing stopped and started speaking. ‘You need revenge but be truthful to yourself. Serve me and I will give you whatever you want.” I still did not know who the person was but I still amused him, “Who are you? And how can you give me anything.” The laughing started again before I was met with Jason standing in front of me but he was shimmering. “I am Tartarus. The Eternal Abyss.’ I started tearing up a little, before the voice spoke again. ‘After Hades has fallen and I take control of his Kingdom. I can bring him back, if you serve me.” I was stuck at a crossroad, there was no way I would help Tartarus but Jason also deserved a better life. Anger took over me and I screamed at Tartarus, “I will never ever help you. You will die to us.” The primordial finally appeared in front of me, and a mere glimpse at him, made me want to run away. “So be it.” Those were the only words he said before I was being pulled away. I didn’t know where Tartarus had got me to but there was an army of monsters assembled. Leading the armies were two bear-human hybrids. It looked like there were two divisions of groups. On the left side, being led by one of the twin bears, there were thousands of Dracaena and Empousa in complete battle armor with battalions giant ants following behind. On the other side, being led by the other twin bear, there were 100’s of mechanical bulls that were emitting a lot of heat, it made the whole area feel like a furnace. And just for assurance a Giant Badger stood behind the bulls. I wasn’t sure who they were going to attack but it did not look like the defenders were going to make it out alive. I walked to the edge of the cliff and saw that it was Camp Jupiter being attacked. Tartarus decided to speak again, “The full moon shall rise tonight marking the end of the Twelfth Legion.” Panic ran over me, I didn’t want it to be true but it would happen. No one could stop an attack like that. I wanted to warn Frank and Hazel but for some reason our Iris messages aren’t working. Finally, I woke up feeling light-headed. I was confused for a few seconds before I realized I wasn’t on Festus. Somehow Festus had malfunctioned and now we were plummeting down to our doom. The ground kept inching closer, before, with a yank upwards, I stopped falling as if there was no gravity. My body hurt from the sudden pressure added, but I was happy to be alive. I looked around trying to spot my friends. Unfortunately for me, none of them were in plain sight. I was at least 10 feet above ground level, so falling down was not a plan. I looked around and found myself above a service road that winded around the beautiful mountains and gardens. All of a sudden, I felt my self being lowered until I had reached the ground. I silently thanked, whoever had saved my life. I started observing my surroundings once again, hoping to see any sign off my friends. After a few minutes of walking around, I had discovered we crash landed in a very familiar place. We were at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado. The last time we were here, Lycaon and his Werewolves attacked us, at Pike’s Peaks, being assisted by Khione. That experience gave me goosebumps, and confirmed the fact that Khione was a complete psychopath. I noticed some smoke rising from the forest nearby. I thought that I was Leo, trying to regroup. So I started walking towards the part of the forest where the smoke originated. Fortunately for me, it was on a designated trail otherwise the security guard in the area would’ve stopped me. As I continued walking on the trail, the air around me started feeling a little frosty, way colder than it should’ve been for a sunny afternoon in Colorado. I was getting a little paranoid and suspicious until I made it to a clearing, only to be met with Leo and Percy laying on the floor, groaning in pain. Annabeth and Calypso stood over them defensively. I rushed over to their side and asked what happened. To my dismay, I got my answer from the perpetrator of the attack. “Hello Piper, did you miss me.” The words washed over me with a cold sensation. I noticed the ground around me started to frost up. Annabeth was very confused, “Piper do you know who she is?” Calypso recognized her immediately and spat out with disdain, “Khione did you really have to come here.” The snow goddess sneered, “Calypso, daughter of Atlas. I thought you were to stay on Ogygia.” It looked like those two knew each other but they weren’t on the best of terms. “Khione is the goddess of Snow. She was serving Gaia but we stopped her.” I explained to Annabeth. She understood and shot back at the Daugher of Boreas, “Listen if we’ve stopped you once, we’ll do it again. So it wo- Annabeth was interrupted by Khione, who launched her against a tree. Fortunately, she only seemed dazed and not seriously hurt but I was livid and lunged at Khione with Katoptris drawn. She melted into snow and appeared behind me, laughing. “Is that all Piper, I thought you’d be stronger.” As she said that, she got a taste of her own medicine because she was pushed by a huge gust of wind against a tree. That didn’t even faze her but she gave Calypso a grin before saying, “Time to teach you all the horrors of frostbite.” The whole surrounding area felt infinitely colder, when I took a breath with my mouth, my lungs closed shut and I started gasping. “Piper, breath using your nose. It’s safer.” Calypso advised me. I listened to her advice and thankfully I started taking in oxygen normally. But I could still feel the frost-nip settling in. I was hoping that a miracle would happen and someone would save us. Khione was still laughing at us madly. That’s when I noticed the air around us started heating up again, I looked to my right and saw Calypso standing with Leo. While Leo was summoning flames to heat the area up, Calypso was using the wind to circulate the heat. “No Leo Valdez, stop it.’ Khione ordered Leo. ‘Do not help Calypso, she is of no use to us.” Leo just started laughing, “Miss D-List goddess, there is no use. So please get lost.” Khione now knew that it was of no use to try to fight so she relented, “You and your friends will suffer. Soon you will face a challenge greater than me and you will fail.” And just like that, the temperature started becoming normal with no deranged goddess in the vicinity. I ran to Annabeth and started examining her. There was no sign of any bad injury so I gave her some Ambrosia while Leo and Calypso did the same for Percy. However, when Percy got out of his confusion, he warned us with a grave look on his face, “We have to go now.” All of us were very confused, even Annabeth who had now sat up, asked him, “Percy what’s wrong?” He was in a rush and got up, “Pasiphaë is coming for us, and she has Otrera with her.” Well that was enough to get all of us up and ready to run from here. Percy ran over and helped Annabeth up. “Leo do you know where Festus is?” Calypso questioned him. “Or is there a way for him to come to us.” Leo nodded his head, “Well I can try to call him using his whistle but if he’s damaged in any way then that’s not possible.” Calypso nodded her head while Leo used the whistle to call Festus. I asked everyone a question. “Guys I know who Pasiphaë is but who’s Otrera?” Leo shook his head to say that they do not know. Just as Percy was about to say something, a woman appeared at the edge of the tree line and introduced herself. “Founder of the Amazons, rightful Queen of the Amazons.” The woman stepped in view. She had a beautiful shade of silver hair with very dark brown eyes. She had a strong aura to her. Percy spoke in anger, “Otrera, you’re not the rightful queen, you aren’t even supposed to be alive.” The woman threw a dagger which Percy ducked, and in response everyone got their weapons out. “You’re right Percy, I’m supposed to be an immortal.’ Otrera laughed. ‘I would’ve killed Hylla and taken my rightful place as Queen but alas Thanatos was freed.” Calypso sneered at Otrera, “Let me guess, now Tartarus has given you a similar offer?” The former Queen laughed, “Smart for a cursed prisoner. Didn’t you side with the Titans?” Calypso seemed shocked at that but unfortunately it was true, she stammered out, “I...Umm...I made a mistake.” Leo jumped to Calypso’s defense, “Hey silver-hair we all make mistakes but how we undo them matters.’ Leo held Calypso’s hand. ‘You decided to side with Tartarus.” Otrera got angrier but then slyly grinned, “Brave of you to say that but how utterly stupid.” Percy just mocked her, “This is coming from the woman who lost to Hylla twice.” That was the limit for Otrera, because she charged at Percy with her sword, made of steel. Percy easily sidestepped her and was equally matched with her in combat if not better. But there’s one thing that everyone who opposes us miscalculates, we are a team and we work together. While Percy had occupied her in combat, Leo took out a long piece of rope from his tool belt. Annabeth and I took over from Percy and started attacking the Founder of the Amazons, who was surprisingly average in combat. I wouldn’t say I was that great either but the sword lessons Hazel had given me, were sufficient. We did have the advantage of numbers, with three half-bloods, fighting one undead Amazon. I looked over at Leo who was nodding and pointing towards a trap he had made in only a minute. Percy and Annabeth had also noticed it and were helping me push Otrera back onto it. Soon the Amazonian Queen was standing right in front of the trap when a Calypso used her powers over the wind to send a huge gust, powerful enough to push Otrera. As soon as she fell on the concealed net, she was captured inside the net, dangling on the tree. She started screaming, “Let me go NOW and I might have mercy on you. If I leave by myself, all of you will suffer for eons.” I had enough of the former queen and presented our demands using charm speak, “Otrera if you swear on the River Styx to not hurt any of us again, we will let you go.” “You think you’re charm speak will work with me.’ Otrera sneered at me. ‘I have fought half-bloods stronger than you. I shall not meet with your demands.” Calypso looked over at Leo and nodded. He smirked back in reply and summoned fire on his hand. Then he warned her, “Listen we’ll make this very simple for you. Either you tell us what we need to know and follow our demands or we could send you back to the Underworld.” Otrera just shamelessly smiled at Leo, “And who will be doing that? Someone as elvish and short as you?” Somehow she knew enough about us to get under our skins because Leo was a little sensitive about his height and she struck the right cord. Annabeth came to his aid, “Actually it will be all of us, if you don’t start talking now.” “Do your worst but I won’t be giving out any information.” We weren’t expecting her to say that so we just awkwardly looked at each other while she kept smirking. Leo decided enough was enough and he started a fire then put it under Otrera and told her, “Just follow our demands.” Somehow she threw a knife that cut through the net and almost hit Leo but he deflected it with a hammer. In response, Percy stabbed her with Riptide, that got her speaking, “Ok I swear on the River Styx to follow thy demands.” Calypso decided to ask a question, “Explain how you got out of the underworld.” “It was very easy since Hades had been under attack since an year.’ Otrera started explaining. ‘Thanatos has been busy defending against the attacks which has allowed a lot of the undead to escape.” Annabeth nodded her head and muttered, “That explains why so many enemies have been coming back.” However, Otrera decided to give us more information, “Don’t worry half-bloods, Hades’ kingdom is so weak from the attacks to the point where Tartarus will soon take control.” That was some news, we did not want to hear. If Tartarus could get control of one of the big three’s domain, especially Hades, that would create serious troubles for all of us. If Tartarus does somehow take control of the underworld, he would have complete control over the dead. We tried to ignore that detail and then I made her swear, “Now you won’t try to attack us again. You’ve already swore on the River Styx to follow each of our demands and this is included.” Otrera did not seem happy at my demands but reluctantly accepted because she had already swore. We let her go, and she tried to kill us by staring daggers in to us but the she ran off. But we all knew that our troubles had not stopped at that, and Leo voiced his concerns, “Percy you said that Otrera was coming with Pasiphaë but till now no immortal sorcerers.” Percy shrugged and said, “Maybe they decided to attack us in waves, whatever the reason is, we shouldn’t stick around and wait for them to attack us.” We all agreed that the smartest move, we could do was keep going forward and take care of the problems as they arrive. Leo took a out a safety whistle from his tool belt and blew into it, in a matter of seconds, a roar rung through the air. Leo just smirked at us and said, “Looks like our ride is about to arrive.” And rightly so, Festus ran through the trees. However, one of his wings were completely frozen and the other was severely damaged. Leo said through grit teeth and clenched fist, “Looks like Khione and Otrera got to him first.” “So will we be able to fly with him?” Calypso asked the question that was on everyone’s mind. Leo gave a disappointed look and said, “I can thaw out the left wing but unfortunately we need a lot of Celestial Bronze to repair the other wing. I’ll make Festus ran a scan.” We all knew that this was very bad for us, it was already three pm and now we were running into more delays. After a minute of waiting, Leo delivered some good news, “There’s a park about 4 miles away from here, and Festus has detected a good amount of celestial bronze.” Annabeth took control of the situation, “Good so Percy, Piper and I can go and find the celestial bronze, while you and Calypso can defend Festus just in case Otrera comes back.” We all liked that plan and decided to go ahead with it. Leo named the park as Sonderman and told us to follow the main road from here. It took us an hour of walking to get there, and when we finally arrived, we noted it as being a very small park. We entered it and started looking around for any piece of celestial bronze and also kept an eye out for any potential enemies. I noticed a small boy carrying a deformed shield made out of celestial bronze. I called over Percy and Annabeth, who seemed relieved to finally have found it. We went to the kid and asked him to give us the piece of metal. He just looked at us with disgust and stuck his tongue out. “This isn’t a piece of metal, it’s a toy shield and I found it so it’s mine.” Because of the commotion, his mother came over and started asking us what was wrong. I charm spoke to her, “Ma’am we are working for the park clean up and your child found a piece of metal, and I’m sorry to say but we have to confiscate it as it’s park property.” She just took the shield from him and gave it to us without any further questions asked. I couldn’t help but laughing with Percy and Annabeth at our luck. We fight so many people, gods and monsters who have it out for us but then we also have to do stuff like this. We walked back to Leo who was waiting for us patiently sitting on the ground resting his head on Festus while Calypso was sound asleep, with her head on his lap. We showed him the shield we had and he grinned at us, then carefully woke up Calypso. “Hey Cal, you gotta wake up now.” She got up and seem well rested and Leo got to work on Festus’ damaged wing. Calypso asked us the details of how we got the shield and she didn’t seem surprised when she found out how lackluster it was. “It must’ve been one of Hephaestus’ defective shields. He throws out whatever does not work.” She explained to us. In a few minutes, Leo was already done repairing Festus’ wings. One of them seemed funny because of it’s mismatched colors. “Everyone aboard Happy the Dragon express, departing for Oakland in five minutes.” Leo announced like a conductor. And in a matter of 5 minutes, we were on Festus’ back once again making our way to Camp Jupiter. It took us at least 4 hours to reach the Oakland Hills area, we had departed at around when the sun had started setting at a time of five pm and now it was night time here in San Francisco. But the oddest thing was when we had finally arrived at the Camp Jupiter, the whole camp was on fire. With our aerial view, we could see the true extent of the damage. The Tiber was filled with bodies and blood. Roman legionaries were trying to fight but the amount of monsters and fire breathing bulls was overpowering. Percy cursed in Ancient Greek under his breath and then with a shaky voice said, “We’re too late.” Leo started profusely apologizing, “I’m...I’m...sorry, it’s my fault that it took too much time.” “What has gotten into you both.” Calypso and Annabeth said almost at the same time. Annabeth continued ahead, “Leo take us down with Festus. Maybe the Romans are just regrouping. There stronger than just giving up and abandoning ship.” Calypso and I agreed with Annabeth’s points and I emphasized, “Everyone keep your weapons ready, we’ve got a long battle to come.” With that, Festus started dropping down to take us into battle, one I hoped we would win.


	14. Abdur

Hazel, Frank, Nico, Will and I were left standing there as Centurion Hank left with his soldiers.  
Frank muttered under his breath, “We really need better centurions.” I agreed with him.  
Hazel looked devastated, so I tried to cheer her up, “Hazel trust me, after we win this battle. No one will doubt in your abilities.”  
She gave me a thin smile then explained, “Abdur the main problem is that the third and fourth cohort are adamantly against us and they might even convince the other cohorts.”  
I was a little confused, “But Hazel why are they so against you both as Praetors?”  
“Well the main reason is our support of the Greeks. We’ve made peace but still some people aren’t happy.’ Frank elaborated. ‘Rome was built on a Conquer or Die motto.”

After he was done explaining, Will voiced out some more concerns, “I’m sorry Hazel and Frank but we really need to start preparing for the battle to come, because nobody can be a praetor if your Camp is destroyed.”  
Everyone agreed at that and we quickly ran back into Camp Jupiter with the Praetors giving orders to all the Cohorts to assemble outside the Principia for a meeting.  
In a few minutes, there were lines of Roman soldiers marching towards the Headquarters being led by their respective centurions.

The first cohort was being led by a boy with dark hair and eyes, tanned skin and muscular arms. He also had a tattoo of a dove on his right arm.  
The second cohort was being led by a tall muscular boy. He had short-cropped sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, a sharp nose, and a sneaky look, like he had just planned a prank.  
The third cohort had one of my least favorite person in Camp Jupiter leading them. Centurion Hank.  
The fourth cohort was being led by a good looking girl, with brown eyes and curly brown hair to match them. She also had freckles.  
The fifth and final cohort was being led by a girl with pink hair, though they looked clearly dyed, brown eyes and very long limbs and neck. She was carrying a mini ballista.

The sight of all the cohorts assembled together was impressive, there were at least 200 Roman soldiers in battle armor ready for war and I knew for a fact that there was a reserves force as strong.  
“You have all been assembled here because we are at war.” Hazel started explaining. “The normal schedule will be changed until we have survived the impending attacks.”  
Murmurs started passing through the crowd of assembled soldiers. I heard something of ‘dead’ and ‘praetor’.  
We decided to conveniently ignore them as Frank continued, “The reserves will start setting up defenses around camp.”  
“And the first two cohorts are responsible for setting up our offensive plans and ready the soldiers.” Hazel finished for Frank.  
Frank further divided the roles, “The last three cohorts are collectively responsible for making sure there are no lose ends where we could fail in the attack.”

Centurion Hank stepped forward, “While that is important, I think all the legionaries should know something. Do I have permission to speak.”  
He got on my last nerve, if there wasn’t a certain order to Camp Jupiter, I would’ve kicked his podex.   
“I’m sure this can wait, Centurion Hank.” Frank growled as the murmurs grew louder.  
The centurion of the second cohort also stepped forward and said, “Actually we should hear this.”  
Then he was followed by the first cohort’s centurion interrupting him, “Enough Larry, we will see to this later after the battles is finished.”  
Soon enough there was complete pandemonium to the crowd assembled, I just looked in disbelief at Hank, who wore a sly grin.  
I screamed at the soldiers, “ENOUGH don’t you see that there are more important matters at hand.”  
  
Hank did not like the fact that I was bringing back order, “And why exactly should we take orders from you?”  
Will muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Because it’s better than taking them from you.”  
Hank looked at him with pure hatred, “And who are you to say that. Not a Probatio or an ambassador. Just a Graecus.”  
Nico was also angry now, “Hank if you don’t stop talking now. There will be serious problems.”  
Hank decided to take even more advantage of the situation, “Are these two Greek Sons of Hades fit to be ambassadors to Pluto!” He rhetorically asked the question.  
“All of the soldiers and officers are dismissed to their roles.” Hazel interrupted before there could be any serious damage.

I thanked everyone for standing up for me. But it was pretty clear that Frank and Hazel were super stressed.  
“Should we start setting up the defenses?” I asked the praetors, hoping to distract them from their problems.  
Frank responded, “Yes we can start by covering the Caldecott Tunnel, so that part is completely blocked off.”  
We liked the sound of that plan and asked for details. Unfortunately Frank was short on them.  
“I mean we can try what we did with Caligula but that is a major inconvenience and takes a lot of time.”  
I understood and added, “And if I was in charge of the Army that’s about to attack. I would do it tonight, they’ll have the advantage of numbers and darkness.”  
Everyone nodded and started brainstorming for ideas that would be quick and effective.  
A lightbulb went over my head, “What if we don’t block it and allow them to us it.’ Everyone seemed very confused as I said that. ‘Why don’t we create a chokehold there. We’ll try to get them constricted in the tunnel and then throw in a lot of Greek Fire.”  
That was the best idea we had so we decided to go for it. “It might just work.” Nico said.  
Truth be told, I was hoping it would work because if we could stop the attack here rather than let it go till Camp Half-Blood, then it would be great.  
Frank and Hazel decided to head into the city for getting all the ingredients for the Greek Fire while Nico, Will and I started going back towards the tunnel to set up the traps.

As instructed, we started inspecting the tunnel and it was clear that our task would be easy but strenuous.  
We started setting up the main parts of the blockade towards the mortal side of the maintenance entrance.  
It had hardly been 15 minutes and a lot of progress made when the Praetors returned with the fifth cohort.  
Hazel introduced us to the Centurion, “This is Lavinia Asimov, centurion of the fifth cohort. They’re here to help us.”  
We started thanking them for the help as they took over from us and furthered the progress on the barriers.  
That allowed Nico, Will, Hazel, Frank and I to start out production of Greek Fire.  
They had all the ingredients with 100’s of vials to store the dangerous magical substance in.  
It took us about an hour before the Blockade has been completed and looked very impressive.  
Hazel dismissed the rest of the fifth cohort after thanking them but Lavinia stayed to ask a few questions.  
“So first of all, what are you guys even making? Green Fire, excuse me, how is that going to help.”

I was a little offended but I just smirked and said, “This is Greek Fire, arguably the most dangerous magical substance.”  
Lavinia was still not impressed however, so she asked her next question, “What did Hank mean? Praetor Hazel and Frank.”  
Hazel just bit her lip and decided she trusted Lavinia enough so she explained that she’s from the past briefly.  
Lavinia didn’t seem disgusted or anything negative, she just shrugged and told the praetors not to worry then took her leave.  
Hazel asked us, “So who are we going to keep here with the vials of Greek Fire?”  
“Well none of us are going to be here because we’ll have to hold off the main attack. I think Lavinia is one of the people we could trust.” Frank said.  
So it was decided that Lavinia and a few of the trustworthy legionaries from the fifth cohort would stay and use the vials of Greek Fire.

Frank further added, “Well we told the reserve forces to stay on the Pomeranian Line and surround New Rome just in case.”  
And as we were walking back towards the camp to see how the defenses have been set up.  
A giant wolf, at least seven feet tall jumped at us surrounded with a pack of wolves.  
She had beautiful chocolate red color of fur, and her eyes for as silver as mist. I identified her as Lupa.  
Frank seemed to be in a conversation with her for a few minutes before the pack left with their leader.  
“Lupa has promised that her pack will protect the southern border including the Oakland Hills.” Frank explained what she told him  
It was a relief to have one more problem sorted out. After Luna had visited us, the centurion of the second cohort decided to do so as well.  
“Centurion Larry, what brings you here.” Frank welcomed him by asking a question.  
The centurion just scowled at us and said, “Centurion Hank has explained to me of certain circumstances.” That put a look of shock on each of our faces. “However, I care about the camp and it’s legionaries and not the leadership or their back stories.”  
We calmed down hoping that he was on our side but he continued, “The second cohort is supporting the praetors, but I am not, at the senate meeting, I will vote against you but I don’t want Centurion Hank to be a praetor either. You are better than him." He addressed the praetors and then left.

None of us knew what to make of that so we walked on towards the fifth cohort and started explaining to Lavinia, what her job would be.  
She did not seem too pleased and asked if she could just keep her soldiers at the tunnel because she has a good back-up plan.  
Frank and Hazel weren’t too easy with that idea but when we heard the back-up plan, it was so crazy, it might just work. So the praetors reluctantly agreed to Lavinia’s Plan.  
We started walking back to see the traps that the second cohort would be setting.  
And I had just realized, how hard the job of a Praetor is, so I jokingly said to Frank and Hazel, “If this is even half of what you have to face daily, I would lose my mind. You guys are doing a great job.” And I completely meant it.  
Frank said with a sad look, “Well I just hope we’ve done a good enough job to protect camp.”  
Will and Nico backed me up by reassuring our friends, “You’ve done a great job and Camp Jupiter will make out of this alive.”

That cheered them up a little and we completed our round looking at our preparedness.  
Most of the Cohorts defensive prowess and abilities were complete with each part heavily defended.  
The third cohort, while they did their job, it was very hesitantly. They had the whole twelfth legions traps set up on every possible location where we would face an invasion.  
The fourth cohort manned all of the archery weapons and long ranged attacks from their towers.  
The fifth cohort were in control of the Tunnel and the Greek Fire, they were responsible for creating an effective chokehold.  
While the first two cohorts got all of our weapons inventories checked, while they also set up the Onagers and Ballista’s   
When I saw the final result, I was completely impressed, we had created an impenetrable fort, and no army would be stopping us.

Around 8:00 pm, we got the first signs that this would be a long battle to come.   
Our group consisting of Nico, Will, Frank, Hazel and I was stationed with the rest of the first and second cohort, between the Caldecott Tunnel and the entrance to Camp Jupiter.  
The third and fourth were covering the eastern end more towards New Rome, while the fifth waiting patiently.  
We started feeling tremors from the ground, a first we thought it must’ve been an earthquake but then the whole area started getting hotter.  
Soon enough, there was a massive explosion from the Caldecott Tunnel, a fire had started and 100’s of Bulls emitting heat so hot that it started feeling like a furnace.  
The fifth cohort did as instructed and threw all the vials of Greek Fire on the bulls but it did no damage whatsoever.  
“Colchis Bulls, but how did Tartarus get so many.” Frank muttered under his breath.  
I asked for details, “Ok were going to need a lot of help here but please tell me these bulls have a weakness.”  
Frank elaborated on it’s weaknesses, “Well it’s skin is burning hot, none of us can touch them without Medea’s Sunscreen or if we’re immune to fire like Leo.”  
“Or like a cyclops.” I said as I pointed to a cyclops running into battle using a javelin. Four bulls were being crushed in mere seconds.  
He was two meters tall and very broad shouldered. With messy brown hair and a singular brown eye but through the mist it appeared as two.  
He roared as he smashed two bulls together, “This is Tyson’s friend Camp, NO ONE HURT TYSON FRIEND.”

I couldn’t help but smiling, and I smiled even more when something whizzed by a stopped in front of us.  
It was a beautiful horse, with a black mane and tail, and the most dazzling caramel color for his fur.  
Hazel just smiled at him and said, “So you’re back old friend, let’s go kick some monsters, Arion.”  
She sat on him and kept her Spatha in her hand and told us, “Ok so now we attack with a new force.”  
Just as she said that and sped off, there was another explosion and now there were ranks of Dracaena and Empousa running in with complete battle armor and being led by a Bear with wings.  
He roared, “I am the mighty Agrius. The one who shall be responsible for the fall of Rome.”  
Frank just angrily said, “Not if I have anything to do about it.” And turned into a Dragon then flew off to fight the bear.

I said to the three of us that were left, “Well it looks like it’s just us three. And if I do go down in battle, then I hope you know it was amazing fighting with you all.”  
Will just rolled his eyes, “Ok now why don’t we get out there and show the rest of these Romans, how we Greeks fight.”  
We nodded and ran off from our cover towards the Empousa’s and Dracaena’s  
There were 100’s of skeletons being summoned by Nico and Me while Will accurately shot with his bow.  
And when a monster got close enough to see Nico and My sword’s, they ran fleeing in the opposite direction.  
I looked over to my left and saw that Tyson was being attacked by another Bear. Was that it’s uglier twin?  
I informed Nico and Will that I would help Tyson and came back to them, so they’d have to hold off the forces for now.

When I got close enough to the fight going on between Tyson and the other bear, I heard Tyson shout.  
“This is General Tyson WEAPON, leave BAD BEAR.” The bear was trying to steal his javelin while mocking him.  
“Oh dumb cyclops, remember me from the Princess Andromeda. I am Oreius the twin bear.”  
I ran in and slashed at the bears leg, who started screaming in pain, that allowed Tyson enough time to stab him.  
However, when Percy’s brother saw me, he got a little freaked out and yelped, “Sa..So...Son of Hades?”  
I just shot him a smile and nodded, because the poor guy looked so scared of me, “Hey I’m a friend of Percy, I’m on your side.”  
He calmed down but unfortunately we had given enough time for the Bear to get up and tackle Tyson.  
He wasn’t expecting that and dropped his weapon, the bear looked like he was about to kill him which enraged me.  
I jumped on his back and drove my sword in to it, at least 5 times before he turned into dust, leaving his essence to be swallowed by my sword.

Tyson thanked me, then picked his weapon back up and said, “Go now and kill more monster.”  
I nodded and started running back to where I had left Nico and Will, when an ear piercing scream rung through the air.  
I looked over to where it had come from and saw someone being stabbed by a Colchis Bull’s horn.  
It looked like the centurion of the first cohort, he was fighting the other twin bear when he must’ve gotten stabbed by the Bull.  
That gave new motivation and anger to the soldiers, who attacked with more might.  
I killed tens of Dracaena making my way to Nico and Will, who were overwhelmed by the amount of monsters nearby.  
I might’ve looked confident and optimistic on the outside but I was in total disarray on the inside.

After I saw that Nico and Will were surrounded, I stuck my Falcata into the ground and tried to channel my power over the earth.  
Soon enough, huge fissures opened up below many of the monsters, at least 100’s of the foot soldiers in the monsters army were taken up by the ground.  
And that gave enough time for Nico and Will to come over to where I was standing and try to recuperate.  
We heard a shriek from our left side and we looked over to see an Elephant in Kevlar armor trampling a dozen giant ants.  
I was super confused until Will explained, “Those are Myrmekere Ants, very bad news.”  
Luckily for us the elephant was handling them very well, until six giant badgers burrowed out of the ground from behind him

The ants were mostly dead but now the elephant was facing serious troubles from the Badgers who started gnawing on his legs.  
I cried out, “We’ve got to do something, otherwise he won’t make it.” Will and Nico looked anguished.  
Then from the sky, a dragon who I assumed was frank, and five giant golden colored eagles descended.  
Each one attacking a badger and eventually killing it. The elephant was seriously hurt but alive.  
Then there were some explosions by tendrils of Lightning. I looked over to see Lavinia carrying a staff with an eagle on it.  
She was being followed by an army of baby peaches? I was beyond confused.  
However Will was ecstatic, “She somehow got Peaches and his friends here.”

At this point, we thought we would be winning the battle, that is until a lot of shades and ghosts started coming out of the ground.  
I looked perplexed at Nico, who shared my same look. “I don’t think any of us summoned them.” Nico nodded as I said that.  
Hazel had also come over on Arian and asked us, “Who summoned the shades and ghosts?”  
“It was me, Children.” We all looked over to see a very tall and imposing man white robes, with a thin royal circlet of gold on his head.  
His beard was pointed like a spear blade, while his eyes glittered cruelly. He gave us a very evil smile.  
Even though he was a shimmering ghost, he looked almost solid — a pale bearded king with maliciously cold eyes and tendrils of Mist coiling off his robes.   
“Are you not going to introduce me Nico? I taught you all know, I guided you.”

I pointed my sword at him while asking Nico, “Who is he and do I have permission to kill him.”  
Nico scowled at the ghost and said, “Minos I didn’t think you would return after I took your title.”  
Minos gave a look like he had just bit into a lemon, “Nico unfortunately for your there are two ways to come back. Get a title that gives you ultimate control or make people pledge allegiance to you.”  
“Wait so you’re King Minos, the judge of the dead.” I asked him but I didn’t need a reply. “Well then you should certainly know what Stygian Iron will do to you.”  
The King of Crete ignored me, “Nico might be the Ghost King but I can certainly be the King of Ghosts.”  
All of the Shades and Spirits that had arrived reacted with fear when they heard that.

Nico asked him sarcastically, “Yea and what’s stopping me from taking that title for myself as well.”  
“You’re right, it’s nothing besides a few ancient laws.” Minos smiled cruelly at us.  
Hazel carefully stuttered out, “What do you want Minos, why are you here?”   
The son of Zeus just smiled crookedly, “It’s quite simple, unfortunately for Hades, his kingdom is about to fall. Tartarus will take over and give me a better job.”  
“And how are you sure about that. For all you know he’ll backstab you and banish you as well.” I asked shouting at him.  
He finally acknowledged me by scowling and saying, “You’re the Champion of Hades? Don’t look like one.”  
That comment cracked me and especially when he started calling the Shades to his side by introducing himself as the King of Ghosts.

I screamed at him, “No Minos you’re mistaken. I am the King of Ghosts.” I said as I pointed my sword at him.  
He started shouting and taking about how this couldn’t happen against as the mist started leaving his body, and he began looking like an ordinary spirit or shade.  
After he had left, all of the ghosts walked over and bowed to me and Nico. I jokingly said.  
“Hmm, I like the sound of that. King of Ghosts, if none of you mind that is.” Everyone had a good laugh at that before we returned to battle.  
I noticed a few of the Monsters were wrapped in plants, which I assumed must’ve been from a legacy or child of Demeter.

All the shades that had been fighting against the demigods were now fighting for us.  
The amount of monsters was quickly diminishing, and dwindling down to the point where there were maybe only ten of the bulls and hundreds of foot soldiers.  
Hazel had decided to set Arion free to do his own thing while Frank had turned back into a human and was using his bow.  
As we were killing a few Empousa, somehow a shade had crept near us and took down Hazel.  
He had dark hair and sunken eyes. He had a tattoo that had two faces of a man, SPQR written on it like the rest of the soldiers, and six lines for his years of service.   
His attire includes a Camp Jupiter shirt under ice covered legionnaire armor. He is adorned with a praetor symbol and the Fifth Cohort emblem.

He spoke coldly with no regards for the praetor, “So it looks like our praetors are still supporting the Greeks.”  
Hazel sneered at him, “Micheal Varus, why are you supporting Tartarus, don’t you see it’s crazy.”  
He looked at us with hatred and said, “Crazy is being put in to the Fields of Punishment for trying to solve a prophecy. If any of you try to come close, there will be votes held for a new Praetor.”  
At this point, I had lost it with the anger. I pointed my sword towards Micheal who got a little scared seeing it was made from Stygian Iron.  
I let my anger loose and in a flood of pain, I turned Micheal Varus into a mindless ghost and then started forcing him into the Underworld, while he kept screaming.  
“Nooooo...I am Micheal Varus, Son of Janus and I am alive. You can’t do this to me.”  
The ground around me started turning into frost as I fell to the ground with a loud thud.  
Everyone rushed to check on me, even though I had done such a big task, I felt refreshed.  
“Abdur are you ok?” Hazel asked me as she was standing over me. I reassured her and everyone else by standing up with ease.  
She thanked me with a hug, “Thank you so much Abdur. Who knows what he would’ve done.”  
I told her not to mention it and reminded the Praetor that we have more important matters to attend.

This time, Hazel sat on Arion and left into battle while Frank was right behind her in the form of Grizzly Bear.  
As we started killing more monsters, Will asked me a little amazed, “How did you do that?”  
I was honestly not sure so I just explained, how I let my anger out for anyone trying to hurt my family or friends.  
Just when it seemed like all the monsters were completely killed and that we had won the battle.   
There was another wave of enemies, and this one seemed even stronger than the last.  
I whined a little, “Will we ever catch a break! I mean we just killed so many and now there are more.”

This time with the Dracaena and the Empousa, came thousands of Cynocephali. They were dog-headed monsters.  
But just to put the cherry on top of the cake, there were two Dragons flying into Camp.  
I was hoping that Frank would turn into a Dragon as well and we might have one less problem to deal with.  
Leading all the monsters was a woman with Silver Hair and celestial bronze daggers.  
When she spotted our group killing a lot of the monsters, she darted towards us and threw a dagger which I barely deflected.  
In awe, we asked her, “Who are you?” She did not get the opportunity to answer because from behind me another woman introduced her, “Otrera, did you come back to die again?”

At first I thought it was Reyna, because she looked just like the former Praetor besides being a little taller with long black hair and dark eyes.   
She was dressed in a sleek black leather jumpsuit with the oddest of belts, it was a strange-looking accessory made of interlocking gold links, around her waist.  
She was being accompanied by woman in matching black leather jumpsuits, without the belts.  
“Hylla, you have to audacity to come here again.” Otrera sneered at Hylla while strengthening her hold on her twin daggers.  
Hylla nodded at us then said, “Otrera we will have a duel to the death, whoever wins gets to be queen of the Amazons.”  
The woman with twin daggers just smiled widely and agreed to the conditions.  
Hylla then ordered the Amazons to start helping the Romans and we also followed the order.

I couldn’t help but looking back as we started fighting other Monsters and it was clear Hylla was winning the duel.  
But we wouldn’t be wining this war because there were too many monsters, it was almost a ratio of 10:1 for monsters to demigods.  
The dragons were fighting with the Giant Eagles in the sky, who were unfortunately no match for the Dragons.  
However, we had enough trouble on the ground that our aerial warfare could not be bothered with.  
The army consisting of 100’s of Karpoi’s had now dwindled down to only 10’s while the fifth cohort and Lavinia were no where to be seen.  
Just when it seemed like the battle was tipping into the favor of the enemies, volleys of silver arrows were being shot from behind us.

Will seemed very happy and explained, “Those arrows could only be used by the Hunters of Artemis.”  
And he was right as a girl who looked around he age of sixteen walked up to us with piercing black eyes and glossy black hair worn in a single braid.   
She had a regal and beautiful face in Hispanic descent and had a gaze as if she could take on any challenge.  
I recognized her as Reyna, the former praetor and now hunter of Artemis, she had her dogs, Aurum and Argentum with her.  
We welcomed her and thanked her for coming to save us. She jokingly said, “Yea well I haven’t done the saving part yet.”  
So we started fighting the other monsters and this time I felt even stronger, I think it was the Daughter of Bellona who was lending us strength.

In a matter of minutes, we had killed so many monsters. Frank and Hazel also regrouped with us and thanked Reyna for bringing the hunters.  
It was clear that we only had one problem left for now. The fire breathing dragons.  
But to our surprise, we saw another bronze Automaton dragon fighting the other dragons.  
Frank asked a little shocked, “Is that Festus? Did Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Calypso and Piper reach here.”  
Soon both of the dragons were killed by the Bronze Fire-Breather, and it started descending down.  
As it arrived, all of our friends jumped off and for just a minute, we forgot all our problems as we started greeting each other.  
Hylla has also made her way to us with her Amazons chanting, “Queen Hylla Thrice Kill.”  
She greeted her sister, and they caught up on things. While I just looked around inspecting the damage. 

Whatever happened, had happened, the greatest part was that we made out of it alive, that was what I thought until we heard another feminine laugh coming from our left.  
The woman was beautiful in a timeless, regal way, like a statue one might admire but never could love.   
She had eyes that sparkled with malice, and she wore an elegant sleeveless dress of woven gold, with her dark hair piled into a cone encircled with diamonds and emeralds.   
She also wore a pendant like a miniature maze around her neck, and the cord was set with rubies that were like crystallized blood drops.   
Her eyes were so full of hate, that it made my skin tingle. There was a power radiated from her like heat from a furnace.  
Hazel said in disbelief, “Pasiphaë I thought you would take some time to reform but you seem to want more punishment.”

The Immortal Sorceress just smirked at her widely, “Hazel Levesque, I am not sure if I should thank or kill you all.”  
That caught as all by surprise so Reyna asked, “Why would you want to thank us.”  
“Well isn’t it obvious, the champion of Hades usurped the title of ‘King of Ghosts’ from my husband.” Pasiphaë explained.  
No one said anything until the daughter of Helios decided, “Hmm why don’t I kill you all.”  
At that point, I had enough of enemies trying to kill us, so out of spite I foolishly charged at her.  
She didn’t move a foot until I plunged my sword into her, but she just dissipated into the air.  
“Come on, I thought a Champion would be smarter than that.” She said as she appeared behind me and hit me with the hilt of a blade.  
Hazel interrupted the sorceress, “Pasiphaë I sent you back to reform in Tartarus by myself. How will you fight against all of us.”  
  
The witch just smiled, “I won’t be alone then will I?” She said as she summoned Mist forms.  
I lunged at the nearest Mist Form and started fighting it while everyone took care of the rest.  
Soon it was just the immortal Sorceress left, who was distracted by Hazel so I struck when the Iron was hot.  
I lunged at her and stuck my Falcata inside her, this time she was properly destroyed and her essence sucked up.  
I sighed in relief, “Looks like the twelfth legion and new Rome have made it out of this battle alive.”  
Frank wasn’t as happy though, “Yes but camp has been severely damaged and we won’t be here to clean up.”

Reyna and Hylla were seriously confused and asked us, “What do you mean you won’t be here?”  
Nico added, “It’s a very long story and I don’t think this is the safest place for us to explain.”  
“Yes, we should probably go to the Principia or somewhere private to explain.” I added.  
Hazel then said, “We will do that after the Medics have arrived and all the hurt demigods are being tend to.”  
We all mutually agreed on that and started helping the medics who were taking the dead and the hurt ones inside to the infirmary.  
The person who I saw get stabbed by the Colchis bull was indeed the centurion of the first cohort, Michael Kahale.  
Somehow even with his injuries, he was still alive, in critical condition but nonetheless alive.

There were a lot of legionaries that needed medical attention and it took us an hour or so before the field of battle was cleared.  
I counted at least 20 deaths, which would not be good for camp morale and spirit.  
After the cleaning up was done, we started looking over each other for any injuries.  
Will and Nico both had a few cuts and bruises while Hazel had a deep gash on her hand. Frank also suffered a few nicks and cuts.  
But I was definitely the worst off, my jacket was completely ripped while my arms looked like a child had played with a knife on it.  
I had some swelling on the spot where Pasiphaë had decided to hit me with a sword but overall none of us suffered any serious injuries, all of them could be taken care of by some Ambrosia and Nectar.

Hylla had to leave with the Amazons and the hunters had also departed leaving Reyna with us.  
After we had finally arrived at the Headquarters for Camp and locked the door to make sure no one would interrupt.  
We explained to Reyna about the Prophecy I had gotten and how I was a champion of Hades.  
She already knew about Tartarus trying to rise but she didn’t know about Iris being kept hostage.  
Which was news for everyone at Camp Jupiter as well, while we did know that the Iris Messages weren’t working, we did not expect her to be kidnapped or held hostage.  
Annabeth, Percy, Leo, Calypso, and Piper explained in detail, about what they’d been going through including the Manticorend how Piper had been kidnapped by Medea.  
I got so angry after I heard what Medea had done. I had barely known any of these people but I was ready to protect them no matter what.  
  
After we caught up with each other, we were then just casually chatting like nothing major had happened.  
There was a knock on the door, to which Frank and Hazel opened for a young man that looked like he was from India entered.  
He had silky black hair covering most of his forehead, he introduced himself as Pranjal, the head healer at Camp.  
There was a worried look on his face and he started explaining the reason he had come to the Praetors.  
“I..I’m....umm.....I’m sorry.....I’m so sorry but I.’ His lips started quivering at this point and his eyes tearing up. ‘I couldn’t save Michael Kahale.”   
That statement had hit all of us in the room like a brick. Everyone was quiet for a whole minute.  
Pranjal profusely apologized while tearing up even more and then left the room.

Hazel muttered out in disbelief, “It’s been a long day, there are two apartments free in New Rome. Percy and Annabeth can take all of you there. I want you all to rest up.”  
None of us had any objections to that so we just left while Percy and Annabeth led us towards New Rome.  
We all entered New Rome after Terminus and Julia took our weapons. I wasn’t too comfortable giving up my sword but I still did it.  
He was really a stickler for rules because he criticized all of us to the point where I was considering just sleeping on the ground.  
Percy and Annabeth knew there way around and they took us to an apartment building made out of white marble with red-tiled roofs.

The two apartments were right next to each other, Percy, Leo, Nico, Will and I got to take the first room.  
Piper, Calypso, Annabeth and Reyna took the second room and if our rooms were similar, that meant each room would have two king sized beds and one sofa  
I told Nico and the others to take the bed and I would take the sofa, no one had any problems with that.  
We all laid down and I can’t speak for everyone else but in just a few minutes, I was out cold.

Unfortunately, my luck with nightmares would not hold up. I was outside a plain looking building made out of stone. The name read ‘Rainbow Organics Food and Lifestyles.  
There was two women in front of me, both were tied and kept in Golden Chains.  
The taller woman had olive-colored skin, long black hair, and warm brown eyes. She had glasses and looked middle-aged.  
I didn’t recognize her but she certainly had a lot of power to her, I could feel it even in my dream.  
The other girl was short and muscular, with lace-up boots, cargo shorts, and a bright yellow T-shirt that read R.O.F.L.  
She looked young, and her hair was frizzy white, sticking out on either side of her head like the white of a giant fried egg.   
Her eyes were distracting me because her irises kept changing color from gray to black to white.  
For some reason she kept apologizing profusely to the older woman, who reprimanded her for doing so.

When the older woman noticed me, she spoke with a sigh, “You’re the Champion of Hades?”   
I just nodded in reply. I couldn’t believe someone was talking to me in my dreams. That wasn’t even the weirdest thing I had witnessed.  
“Before you head south to the Underworld, you must find a way to release me from my captor.” The Woman explained.  
I was confused so I asked her a few questions, “Who are you and where are you being held captive.”  
“I am Iris, goddess of the Rainbow. I am outside my store, north of Camp Jupiter.” The Rainbow Goddess explained. “You must go now, as my jailer returns.”  
I heard a distant rumble, it sounded like someone was talking but in a language

I woke up after that, to a loud knock on our door, all of us in the room were asleep.  
So I decided to go and open the door, rather than wake anyone up. On the other side of the door were all of the girls from the other room, who asked me if they could enter.  
I gave them permission to and when they saw that everyone else was asleep, they just sighed.  
Annabeth and Calypso just walked over to the bed Percy and Leo were sleeping on and screamed in their ears.  
Well, that was one way to wake them up. I decided to spare Nico and Will from that treatment and woke them up myself.  
Leo joked with Calypso, “Mamacita you could’ve woken me up in a better way. My ears are still ringing.”  
Calypso just shook her head, “Valdez what have I told you about calling me Mamacita.”  
“Sorry Sunshine, won’t happen again.”

Annabeth started explaining, “Ok so before we go to the senate meeting, we need to discuss our plan.”  
Percy replied back, “We really don’t have one do we?”  
“That is exactly why we should made one right now.”  
Percy nodded in agreement with Annabeth, “Fine so we’re going to be heading south towards Los Angeles but how do we kill Tartarus, even when he is at his weakest?”  
“Well for starters we would have to take him away from his domain.” Leo started explaining. “And then try to kill him with any of our powers but the thing is that any one in a mile’s radius will also die with him.”  
“So you’re saying there is basically no way to kill Tartarus, without ourselves dying.” Reyna asked  
Everyone was quiet for a few moments denoting that the answer was indeed yes.  
Piper added to our list of problems, “Also the prophecy does say that a sacrifice must be reserved.”

“I think so that’s it.” Will started talking albeit with a hint of sadness. “One of us might be enough to kill him but it can’t happen without them dying.”  
Nobody spoke because no one liked the possibility even though it was there in the back of everyone mind.  
“We’ll get to that when we get to that. Right now we have a few more problems on our hand.” I tried to reassure everyone by distracting them. “I got a dream from Iris.”  
That made everyone interested in what I was saying, and they all looked at me to continue.  
I explained what I saw and what the Rainbow Goddess told me, of her being held captive.  
“So our plan now includes going to the R.O.F.L store and freeing Iris then we have to go to the DOA recording studios.” Nico questioned us.

Annabeth tried to stay optimistic among all the gloom, “That sounds like as good a plan as any.”  
Just as we finished fool proofing the details of our plan, there was a knock on our door.  
Reyna opened it to Frank and Hazel. We welcomed them inside and explained the further detailing of the plan.  
While they were a little nervous about it, they agreed that it would be the wisest choice.  
“We actually came here to get all of you for the Senate Meeting.” Frank explained the reason of their visit.   
Hazel explained our roles, “Nico and Abdur are the only ones allowed to vote as Ambassadors to Pluto. The rest of you however are allowed to watch.”  
The Praetors then led us towards the Senate House, which was a domed building.  
We entered with the rest of the Lares, Legionaries and Veterans that had gathered.

The inside of the Senate House was like a high school lecture hall. A semicircle of tiered seats faced a dais with a podium and two chairs.   
After the Battle that had passed, cracks in the dome glistened with silver adhesive. The walls of the buildings had been hastily replastered.  
Frank and Hazel stood behind the podium, and patiently waited for all of the Senators to take their seat.  
The senators had the centurions of four of the cohorts with the exclusion of Michael Kahale, who I learned was the Centurion of the first Cohort, Son of Venus and a very good person.  
With the two Praetors, four centurions, two Ambassadors and two veterans that each had 10 years of service tattooed on them, the amount of senators were complete.  
It was definitely a very weird contrast, seeing every legionaries and senator in a purple toga while Nico and I were dressed in complete black. 

Frank started of the meeting, “There are multiple reasons we are her but first and foremost, I would like to congratulate all the legionaries and veteran who fought for the Camp.”  
Hazel then continued for him, “The first thing on the Agenda for today is a quest that has been issued by the Oracle of Delphi.”  
“And the Oracle has stated that the prophecy requires Hazel and I for it to be complete.”  
Hazel nodded and then said, “So we are here to vote for the allowance of us on the quest.”  
In a few minutes, the votes were cast and they weren’t unanimous, as the centurions of the second and third cohort voted against it.  
However, the decision was still valid as if had approval of 8/10 of the senator.

Centurion Hank got up and asked for permission to make an announcement, which had to be given, otherwise suspicions would arouse.  
“We are in New Rome and we have just faced our most devastating attack, now the Praetors expect to leave to go on a quest.” Hank spoke, clearly influencing the assembled legionaries.  
“The praetors also had conflicts of interests against New Rome, which was discovered due to the Gorgons.”  
He then further went to the extent where he explained everything about Hazel that the Gorgons had told.  
Unfortunately for Hank, his words did not have the impact he was expecting them to have.  
So the Praetors decided to take advantage of the situation and hold another vote, this time it would decide who would be the acting field praetor while the real ones would be gone.  
It was decided that they could only choose one and they had to be of centurion rank.  
I asked the praetors if Reyna is included in this, everyone looked shocked until Nico, Frank and Hazel saw what I was trying to do.  
So Reyna was also added to the Ballot and in the end she won by an unanimous decision. 

The meeting was adjourned and as everyone left, my friends and I stayed just to discuss a few more things.  
Annabeth commended me for my quick thinking while Reyna herself wasn’t too sure about it.  
But the decision was taken and until we could complete the prophecy and have the praetors return, she would be the acting praetor.  
Hazel and Frank advised us to get everything we would need ready, because we were going to leave asap.  
We left the city through the Pomeranian Line after getting everything we needed.  
We took back our weapons, which was a very big relief for me to have my sword back.  
Hazel and Frank had also taken their respective weapons which were an imperial gold Spatha and a bow and arrow.  
We left the city and started our long journey to the R.O.F.L store, where we would have to face a captor strong enough to hold Iris.


	15. Frank

The senate meeting had lifted a huge burden of Hazel and My shoulders. We were worried that our camp would have a mutiny and explode.  
Even though the Battle, we had face was unlike any other especially because of the excessive amounts of enemy monsters.  
We had made it out alive, however at camp, we had some very big losses. But I knew that my soldiers were very resilient.  
We would rebuild. Initially, all of our friends were severely worried for what the Legionaries would think after they found out Hazel’s Past.  
Even as Centurion Hank was raising up the point that the Gorgons had mentioned, we were afraid that Camp Jupiter would finally implode and Tartarus would succeed in his task.  
We all were rather surprised to see the senators and legionaries, not turn on us. We were worried about nothing.  
It could’ve been that they didn’t have time to process what happened or maybe they were distracted, after we had suffered so much loss.

Whatever the reason was, I’m sure everyone in our group was pleased and Hazel was the most relieved.  
Another problem for us was our issuance with the quest. It was clear that the Oracle had meant us but we were praetors and had to keep the needs of camp over ours.  
Thankfully, we had Reyna who is unarguably, a better praetor than all of us, keeping the camp under her watchful eye.  
And after I started relaxing and stopped worrying about Camp, the legionaries and their needs.  
It was very exciting being back out on a quest, it had been a long time since Hazel and I left camp.  
And now when we left, we had to defeat another Primordial, Tartarus the infernal abyss. 

Personally I was really grateful that we had three more half-bloods helping us.  
Will was a really good healer and he proved his worth with his bow as well, admittedly he is better than me in archery.  
I was really happy for Leo, he found someone that like his back and Calypso was a very nice person.  
Abdur the Champion of Hades, was very powerful. I mean the first time I met him was almost identical to how I met Nico.  
He had a very powerful aura of Death around him, while I’ve fought a lot of monsters and other demigods.   
Just a glance at Abdur and his Stygian Iron sword was enough for me to tell myself that I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side.  
And when Micheal Varus had kept Hazel hostage, the way he released a torrent of pure hatred.  
I knew it wasn’t directed at me but I just wanted to go and find a corner where I would be safe.  
However, his best quality was definitely how much he cared about us all, he didn’t want any of us to get hurt.   
While he did have a tough side like Nico, if you got close enough for him to trust you, he looked like a perfect ally.

As we started the long journey ahead of us, I could barely remember the details of where the ROFL store was.  
So I asked everyone hoping someone would have an answer, “So does anybody here know where the ROFL store is?”  
“I remember we reached there at a beach, and there was a sign that said Mendocino.” Hazel reminded us.  
“That’s it.” Annabeth said excitedly. “The store must be on Mendocino’s Big River Beach.”  
“That’s my wise girl.” Percy smiled and said happily.  
Calypso frowned and then reminded us, “But how far is it from here. And how much time would it take.”  
“Well it took us a few hours on boat.” Hazel answered Calypso’s questions.

Leo just grinned at us wildly, “Yes but all of you are forgetting the F-Factor that we have.”  
We all very confused but Will was the only one who dared asking, “What’s the F-Factor?”  
“Oh I was thinking you would never ask.” Leo said through a grin. “My friends the F-Factor is Festus.”  
Nothing happened nor did Festus appear. Leo just coughed and repeated his previous statement.  
Leo was very annoyed and when he said the same line the fourth time, Festus the Dragon came blowing fire into the air.  
In return Leo said in a slight whisper which everyone could sill hear, “Do you have to embarrass me like that.”  
Percy jokingly said, “Leo I don’t think the Dragon is the one embarrassing you.”  
Everyone shared a good laugh at that as we all got on and took our seats on Festus.

Nico seemed impressed by Festus, “Leo wasn’t he always a three seater, since when did you add seven more.”  
Piper answered the question for Leo, “Right when we had left for Camp Jupiter.”  
After everyone was settled and we were on Festus, who Leo had customized to have five rows, each road had two parallel seats.  
The foremost row was occupied by the Pilot, Leo and Calypso who was making sure we wouldn’t hit any turbulence by controlling the wind around us to stay calm.  
Nico and Will were sitting in the second row and just looking below at the passing roads.  
Percy and Annabeth followed in the next row, just discussing the possibilities of who was detaining Iris.  
Me and Hazel were sitting in the second last row, just enjoying the fact that we would not have any worries from camp.  
Piper and Abdur were sitting in the last row, just talking to each other and introducing themselves.

Leo shouted over the roaring wind, “We already have a death boy in Nico, so what nickname should I give you Abdur. How about Zombie Dude?”  
“I don’t know Uncle Leo. In my opinion Death Boy is better than Zombie Dude.” Abdur cheekily shouted back.  
While I couldn’t see Leo, I just knew he was grinning wildly, “I like this one. You can be my apprentice.”  
Hazel playfully teased Leo, “I think you should treat him with respect Leo, after all he is the King of Ghosts and Champion of Hades.”  
Everyone who was not here to witness what Abdur did to Minos was shocked.  
Annabeth asked slowly, “Wait...Wait...Wait, did you just say King of Ghosts?”  
Percy completed her thought for her, “But isn’t Nico the Ghost king already?”

Nico started explaining that for a powerful underworld ghost, they can almost become mortal if they get a title and do a sacrifice.  
A life for a life was the phrase he used. So if Minos had killed Abdur, he would’ve become the King of Ghosts.  
Thankfully, Abdur usurped that tittle from him, not allowing another minion of Tartarus to succeed.  
Calypso asked, “Wait so this was the second time that Minos has tried this.” She then suggested, “If so then Minos should really be punished for Treason against the Olympians.”  
We all agreed on the point that would be nice, if we had one less person to deal with.  
Leo then continued by acting crestfallen, “Wait so he’s been here for a week and he has two cool titles excluding mine. While I’ve been here for a year and I have to make my own, which all of you don’t even use.”  
I added along to Leo’s woes, “I mean it is really hard to use Flaming Valdez and Bad Boy Supreme in a conversation.”  
Piper then sarcastically supported Leo, “Frank this obviously means you’re not trying enough. Am I right, Admiral Leo?”  
That was enough for all of us to break in to laughter including Leo who tried to act cheesed.

Our next hour went by quickly in conversation with each other, until Festus started facing some difficulties.  
Leo tried to act it off by speaking like a pilot, “This is Captain Leonidas from the cockpit of Festus Express, apologizing for the patchy air we have hit. There is no rea-“  
He was interrupted by Festus who had lunged forward into a halt and stayed there hovering in one spot.  
Will was concerned and asked Leo, “Why are we suspended and hovering in the middle of the air.”  
Leo just laughed and put his hand on his head then said, “I don’t know it looks like Festus wants a break.”  
It wasn’t the best of excuses but I could understand Leo not wanting to let anyone down.  
He tried to order Festus to go forward and continue flying but Festus was ever defiant.  
Annabeth helped Leo out, “Maybe he knows something we don’t, let him lead us to where we have to go.”  
Festus roared at that as if he agreed with what Annabeth had suggested.  
Leo relented and allowed Festus to lead us down into a nosedive. Everyone started feeling sick, and Percy said gagging, “This is the last time I get on this dragon.”  
In a minute we had landed and Festus was gruffing and puffing, which Leo translated, “He wants us all to get off.”  
As soon as we all had gotten off, the dragon flew away. I muttered out in disbelief, “So much for loyalty.”  
Leo was not proud of what Happy the dragon had done and he apologized to everyone.  
Piper just reassured him, “Hey come on it’s not your fault, he must’ve brought us here for a reason.”  
Nico, Hazel and Abdur perked up and said at the same time, “Something is wrong here.”

“What’s wrong?” All of us besides the children of Hades, asked at the same time.  
Hazel explained, “There’s the faintest sense of death here.” None of us felt it but I did start feeling unexplainably angry.  
Percy spoke, “Is it just me or does anyone else want to punch a wall? I’ve had this feeling before when I-  
I looked over to see the person who had interrupted us standing in front of a white Limousine was a huge muscular man with a vicious sneer.  
He wore black jeans, combat boots, a black leather duster, and a red muscle shirt under a bulletproof vest. He also had a large hunting knife strapped to his thigh.  
He was Ares, the Greek version of my dad Mars. I had fought with him in the second Gigantomachy, when Gaia had tried to rise.  
“Manifest that anger Percy, it would be nice to have someone to fight with.” Ares suggested.

I asked a little confused, “Dad?”  
He just scowled at me, “No that must be Mars, my stronger yet lamer Roman form.”  
Annabeth then asked, “Why are you here Ares. I don’t think it is to help us, or give us some useful advice.”  
“I would really watch that tongue of your’s girl. Who knows where it might lead you.” The war god sneered at her.  
Will was much more calm because he kept his temper under check and said, “So why have you decided to visit us.”  
“You know I was passing by and decided to take some vengeance on Hades.” Ares said as he pointed at Abdur and Nico.  
That’s when all of us got defensive, we all formed a rough semi circle around each other.  
Leo then said, “Yea and if you want to get to any of us then you’ll have to go through all of us.”

Ares just nonchalantly shook his hand as if shooing us away like we were a bunch of flies.  
“I would’ve loved to do that, if Aphrodite wasn’t with me. For some reason she likes you all and would not want me to splatter you all.” Ares said sadistically  
Piper was caught surprised by the news and stuttered out, “Mo..Mom is here?”   
The limousine door opened and a breathtakingly beautiful woman with dark chocolate curls and eyes that sparkled playfully, going from green to blue to amber.  
She looked a lot like Hazel was mixed with one of those beautiful movie stars. I remembered learning that Aphrodite would always be seen as the person which was most beautiful to you.  
She had perfect features, and an amazing figure tucked into jeans and a snowy-white top.

As soon as she got out she started looking over all of us. She smirked at Percy and Annabeth then said, “Did I not keep my promise?”  
Both of them started blushing profusely and the goddess turned her attention to Abdur, she turned her head to a side and then a slight frown edged on the her face, not one worn on disgust.  
But more so, looking like an apologetic glance. Abdur did not notice it or really care.  
She looked at Nico and Will then gave them a thumbs up and a nod of approval, to which Will turned into a tomato.  
Hazel and I had the same treatment and reaction as our other friends when she shot us a smile.  
She talked to Calypso, “It’s good that you’re finally free from Ogygia. And just so you know, I tried to send the best.”  
Calypso nodded in respect at that while Leo jokingly asked, “That does include me right.”  
His remarks were ignored as she turned to Piper and just gave her a hug while apologizing for what happened.  
I had always seen Piper as a very strong person, to the point where I knew that if a situation ever came, I’d be the one to cry rather than Piper.  
But this time, as Aphrodite embraced Piper, tears started forming in her eyes.

We all wanted to say something but none of us were sure what would be suitable in that situation.  
After Aphrodite had finished hugging Piper, she looked better, more relaxed. That’s when I realized how bad Piper actually had it.  
From one side, there was the influence of her mother and the other side, Hera. She couldn’t even talk to her dad because the mist would cover it up.  
Piper apologized to all of us for breaking down like that. But none of us would have it.  
I mean Jason was our friend but he was even more important to Piper. And after she broke up with him, even though it was her choice, she must’ve felt guilt for his death.  
We all started comforting Piper and trying to make her feel better. Aphrodite looked pleased at her success, while Ares was just scratching his head.  
  
The goddess spoke as she started to leave, “I had come here to warn you. Kampê is holding Iris hostage.”  
That sent shudders down everyone’s spine. I had only read about her but that was enough to cause fear.  
Percy stammered out, “Wait you mean The Kampê, jailer of the elder cyclops and hundred handed ones.”  
Aphrodite frowned and nodded then wished as luck as she entered the Limousine.  
After she had entered the Limousine, Ares smiled at us widely and said, “I would wish you luck, but I don’t really like any of you. Also your little automaton dragon isn’t coming back.”  
That got Leo worked up and he angrily said through ground teeth, “What. Have. You. Done. To. Festus.”  
“I would recommend you to keep calm Valdez.” Ares said as his glasses melted to reveal flames in place of his eye sockets. “He had Hephaestus’ blessings, the poor automaton was afraid of what I’d to it.”  
Calypso got involved before Leo did anything foolish and got into trouble with Ares.  
“Yes sir, we’ll walk on foot to the R.O.F.L store, and we won’t take Festus with us.”  
After grinning at all of us, he as well entered the limousine as it took off at lightning fast speeds, leaving us in it’s dirt.

“Why do you treat him with that much respect?” Percy asked, confused at Calypso’s behavior.  
Hazel then added to Percy’s support, “While normally, I would not recommend speaking against the gods, Ares was completely over the line this time.”  
Calypso took a deep breath before explaining, “Well centuries locked away for supporting your dad against the Olympians will teach you that going against powerful immortals can be traumatic.”  
It didn’t cross our mind, just how bad it would actually be, being locked away and cursed.  
Percy quickly apologized for bringing it up, Calypso dismissed his concerns and apologies.

Abdur was a little confused on who Kampê was and asked, “So I do briefly remember reading about Kampê but can anyone give me some more details on her.”  
Annabeth started explaining about the infernal monster while giving a personal recount of how she had invaded Camp Half Blood.  
That caught everyone besides Percy, Nico and Will by shock and we all started asking questions at the same time, about what happened and how did anyone of you survived.  
Percy started helping Annabeth answer our questions and we learned of the poisoned Scimitars the monster carried.  
Then they explained how Kampê almost singlehandedly defeated the both of them together.  
The only reason, they survived was because of Briares, the only surviving Hekatonkheire, killing Kampê by covering her with rocks.  
Piper asked, hoping the answer we expected would be incorrect, “And do we have a way for Briares to come and assist us?”  
“Unfortunately he is working in Poseidon’s Forges to teach the Cyclopes of the methods, they had forgotten in weapon forging.” Percy shook his head and explained.

Nico was a little disappointed and said, “So now we’re going to have to face a monster, which even the Olympians were afraid of initially, and that to without help.”  
I suggested an idea, “Why don’t we just free Iris then she could help us kill Kampê.”  
“That actually sounds like a very good idea.” Will spoke in support of what I had said.  
“We could try that but we would need someone to distract Kampê.” Hazel added more details. “Abdur you said that Iris was kept in Golden chains that were constricting her.” He nodded signifying that she was correct.  
Piper understood where Hazel was leading with this and continued for her, “Right so two of us can free Iris while the rest of us will distract Kampê for long enough.”  
Annabeth sighed, “I don’t like how risky it is but unfortunately it’s our best plan yet.”  
“Come one Wise Girl, it’ll be a walk in the monster-infected park.” Percy tried to cheer Annabeth and everyone else up.  
Leo helped Percy in his endeavor, “Plus risky is my middle name or at least I hope it is.”  
That did help everyone feel better and a little less gloomy as we continued walking towards the Goddess in Chains.

We continued walking for another hour before Calypso asked Leo, “Are you sure you know where we are going.”  
Leo joked around by acting hurt, “I am deeply saddened by this accusation, Sunshine. You have caused me deep pain.”  
After he saw that no one was taking the joke well he laughed it off, “Tough crowd we have here. But I’m sure that we have a few more hours worth of walking before we reach there.”  
As he said that ten different creatures came out of the tree line on the left and started laughing.  
The group on our left were five creatures that had leathery wings like bats, claws, mouths full of huge yellow fangs, and glowing eyes.  
Abdur must’ve confused them for the furies because he said confused, “But I thought there were only three furies?”  
The said in perfect harmony with a very raspy voice, “Foolish mortal, we are the spirits of curses and the daughters of Nyx. The Fearsome Arai. Not some servants of Hades, we would love to oppose him.”  
  
While the group on the right were part humanoid females, part bats; they are pug-nosed and have furry faces, fangs, bulging eyes, shriveled arms, claws, leathery wings, and stubby bowed legs.  
One of them introduced the group, “We are the Keres. Spirits of Violent Death and the daughters of Nyx. And I seem to have met you Percy Jackson. Having Iapetus help you was lowly.”  
We knew that we would have to split up so Percy started making split second decisions.  
“Annabeth, Nico, Will and Abdur help me kill the Keres. The rest of you hold of the Arai. Don’t kill them they will curse you.”  
One of the Arai groaned, “This is no fun. He knows about us, I want to curse people now.”  
All of the other spirits of curses, screamed at the Arai to shut up or leave the battlefield.  
After splitting up effectively, the group I was in and Percy’s group were back to back ready to attack our respective enemies.

I was barely keeping attention of the Arai, trying my hardest not to kill them but not get hurt either.  
I heard an anguished scream, and I was distracted for long enough to look over to my left.  
Percy was standing in front of one of the Keres who was smiling as it had scratched him on his shoulder, ripping through the armor.  
He immediately fell in pain, I didn’t know what was in that scratch, for all I knew it was a life-threatening poison.  
During the time I was distracted, one of the Arai’s decided to take advantage of my situation and one sneaked up on me.  
It caught me by surprise and I wasn’t ready to defend myself, just when it looked like the Arai was about to kill me.  
Hazel intercepted her and slashed down on it but instantaneously she also fell in agony.  
I was right at her side and tried to keep her and myself calm but on the inside, I was angry at myself.  
It was my fault that Hazel was in serious trouble, had I not been distracted none of this would’ve happened.

The Arai mocked us, “One of my favorite curses, how does if feel to be digested by a turtle. Havel Levesque, this is what Sciron the bandit had felt as he was pushed by your evil tricks.”  
I had Hazel in my arms while Leo, Calypso and Piper were holding the others off.  
She was becoming feverishly hot and her skin was literally boiling as if there was poison in it  
For some reason she started apologizing, “I’m sorry if I ever did anything wrong.”  
I interrupted her by shushing her and keeping her locked in a hug as tears left my eyes.  
“Hey don’t talk like that, you’re going to make it ok. I’ll make sure you will.” I reassured her.  
Soon she said that she could not see anything and tendrils of mist started floating around her.  
When another Arai got dangerously close, there was a huge gust of wind that knocked her away.  
Leo had accidentally killed an Arai and now he was in hysterics, “No I’m sorry Cal. Don’t destroy Festus. Leave my friends alone.”  
The Arai’s continued to mock us, “We don’t like this one as much, Ma Gasket lost her children. Now you lose all dear to you.”

In the complete pandemonium, there was another scream that filled us with dread.  
I had recognized it as Annabeth without even looking at her and when I did. I was met with the sight of Nico, Will and Abdur standing protectively around Percy and Annabeth.  
From the looks of it, Annabeth had tried to protect Percy and killed two more Keres, dwindling the amount to only two left, before getting scratched.  
We were completely surrounded and were losing numbers. Leo had broken down into tears of hysteria.  
While Hazel had become hot to the point where it hurt holding her. But she was the only person I could and would protect.  
There were still three Arai left and none of us were ready to attack them because of the fear of the curses.

I noticed that Abdur had come over to our side and had summoned three skeletons that reminded me of Gray.  
Two of the Arai, fell to Abdur’s minions who were protecting the King of Ghosts, with their undead life.  
However, the Arai were not a joke either because killing the Arai had caused the skeletons to disintegrate.  
While I had seen Abdur showing his powers to the fullest, he looked exhausted, that’s when I noticed the darkness around us.  
It was completely dark in a time where the sun should still have been out. The shadows and darkness were curling around Abdur and Nico.  
They seemed to be getting energized from the darkness, I thought of it as unconventional but it was working.  
Abdur had slashed at the final Arai, with a very irregular type of sword style. It was completely different from the orderly method we learn at Camp Jupiter.

He also fell with the Arai, screaming that he was the king of ghosts and not Minos.  
The final words of the Arai were, “King Minos, now there is poetic justice for the Champion of Hades.”  
I had enough of the Keres who had come to our side and were trying to attack us.  
Calypso created a mini hurricane around one of the Keres, while the other was killed by Piper.  
Will and I shot arrows into the cyclone that was created and they started spinning around with the Ker.  
Calypso eased the storm so the arrows would impale the spirit of violent death.  
The final Ker knew its time was coming to a halt so it decided to lunge at Abdur and unfortunately he was scratched three times, piercing through his shirt.  
The arrows finally pierced through the Ker but she just smiled knowing the damage was done. 

Half of us were injured with gods know what curses and poison. Percy and Annabeth looked like they were knocked out.  
Hazel was still hurting very badly with Nico having come to our side. He was livid but thankfully wasn’t directing any of that anger on to us.  
Will was trying to feed Percy and Annabeth some ambrosia but they were unresponsive to it.  
Nico then went over to Abdur, who looked deathly pale but still got up and walked over to us.  
Then Nico helped Calypso who was in tears, trying to get Leo to stop acting so hysterically.  
He helped her bring Leo to us and set him down with the rest of the injured half-bloods.  
I got up and helped Will bring Percy and Annabeth so we could have everyone in close proximity rather than far way from each other.  
It was clear that none of our Ambrosia or Nectar was working, I could do nothing but hope for someone to save us.  
Abdur, while being very sick, still was sitting down next to Nico trying his level best to help Hazel and the others.

My prayers were answered when a woman with brown hair appeared in front of us.  
She looked so much like Annabeth, had she not been knocked out in front of me, I would’ve confused the woman for Annabeth.  
Her stormy grey eyes were bright and full of fierce energy. I had instantly recognized her as Athena.  
Though she was casually dressed (blue jeans, a denim shirt, and hiking boots), there was something about her that radiated power.  
She looked beautiful and regal but also somewhat scary, the way a warrior goddess should look.  
I could understand why she would’ve preferred her Greek aspect, because the Romans just broke her down into a craft’s goddess.  
And I could see that she was much more than that, she stood for peaceful confrontation. Lowering War deaths.  
Calypso had bowed respectfully for the Goddess and addressed her, “Lady Athena, we need your help.”  
She smiled the nodded, “Calypso there is no need for such formalities, and I do apologize for the curse of Ogygia.” 

Calypso nodded and told Annabeth’s mom that it wasn’t a really big deal. Athena just kept her hand on the foreheads of our fallen friends.  
With a mere touch, everyone was cured of whatever had been happening to them.  
We started thanking the goddess and Annabeth got to catch up with her mom for a few seconds before she turned her attention to Abdur.  
“I hope I am right about this.” I heard her mutter under her breath before she announced loudly.  
“I was given a job by Zeus, to make sure none of you do anything wrong. I will have to leave, because I can not stay for too long here.”  
Then she looked at Abdur again, “You’ve been a huge risk, even though you are proving yourself, there have been monsters from all around America flocking towards you. And while I did not like to take risks.”  
Athena looked at Percy and then said, “I’ve learned that sometimes, a risk is worth the reward.”   
She turned back to Abdur, “The Summer Solstice will assemble by June 21st, and then more or less, your prophecy will have come true. And then with or without your presence, The Olympians will vote on your existence, while I will be in support of you, I hope my Immortal Family also see’s my point.”  
She then muttered something about interesting and in a poof of air had left behind a pleasant cinnamon smell.

After she had left, we were all in a few minute of shock but I could see how thankful everyone was.  
“Wait so we have five days before the summer solstice, if I am correct.” Hazel asked  
I nodded and answered, “Yes we have five days and if we don’t complete the prophecy by that time then Tartarus rises.”  
Percy and Annabeth asked about what had happened, after they had passed out.  
The five of us that were not hurt or passed out explained each and every detail.  
Abdur had regained some of the color to his skin but he was still very pale in comparison.  
He looked confused as if he was still trying to process the whole Arai and Keres situation.  
He seemed very defensive about all of us. Piper decided for us, “We should probably rest for now. We’ll continue walking tomorrow.”  
Everyone liked that idea and we set up a small area where we could set a camp up.  
Leo somehow got a very portable grill out of his tool belt and started flipping burger patties.  
“So who wants Tofu Patties and who wants normal burgers? None of you are allowed to make special orders.” He started joking around.  
Piper was the only one who wanted a Tofu Burger while the rest of us had some normal hamburgers.  
Will said with a mouth full of burger, “Leo I love the burger but how does all that fit into your tool belt.”  
Leo just shrugged and said that he had no idea while we all continued eating, one of the best burgers I had ever had.

When we were all done, Abdur volunteered for having first watch, “All of you should get some rest. I’ll be taking first watch.”  
“Abdur don’t push yourself too hard, you should get some sleep as well.” Everyone agreed with the same statement that Piper had made.  
Abdur explained himself, “It’s night time, that’s when my powers are strongest, so I’m fine staying awake.”  
Nico, Will, Leo and I then said at the same time, “Fine but we’re staying awake too.”  
Abdur just smiled, “Don’t be stubborn guys, just go to sleep. We’ve been through a lot and you need some sleep.”  
Nico and Will relented but Leo and I were adamant so Abdur reluctantly allowed us to stay awake.  
The ground was hard but the tiredness took over from the uncomfortable and rough ground.  
Abdur was sitting in front of everyone who were sleeping in rows while I was sitting to his left with Hazel who was using my legs as a pillow.  
Calypso had done the same and rested her head on Leo’s leg, while he played with her hair.

I didn’t want to spend the time just sitting there quietly so I decided to get to know Abdur better.  
We three learned a lot about each other, and I got to see Abdur in a whole new light.  
This whole time I was thinking that he was someone who wasn’t scared at all but in reality he was just like me when I first got a quest.  
“So Abdur and Leo, what are your fatal flaws?” I decided to ask the both of them.  
Abdur looked a little confused and asked me, “A fatal what? I’m sorry but what is that.”  
I started explaining that Fatal Flaws are mental or physical weaknesses that demigods and immortals possess.  
These flaws can often cause the downfall of the being, but are particularly dangerous to demigods.  
Every hero has one. If you don't find it and learn to control it...well, they don't call it fatal for nothing.  
Then I gave him an example of my fatal flaw, my Low Self-Esteem, I got it under control but at one point, I felt as if I wasn’t cut out to be a hero.

He understood the concept and then said, “I think my fatal flaw is holding a grudge. I would keep it there even if it cost me my life.”  
I nodded and assured him that he would be able to control it. He thanked me for the vote of confidence.  
The conversation turned to Leo and when he was asked about his fatal flaw, he defensively put his hand on his head and stammered out while smiling.  
Abdur tried to ease him in to the conversation, “I mean is being totally brilliant a fatal flaw.”  
That did the trick and he calmed down. Just when he was about to say something, Calypso started crying and talking in her sleep.  
“No....please.....I’m sorry....you can take me back there, I won’t do it again.” Abdur and I got super concerned.  
But Leo just sighed as if this was a normal occurrence, “Hey Sunshine, no one’s taking you back. I promise I won’t let them.” He started massaging her hair a little and speaking in a light whisper.  
That calmed her down and she went back to sleep. Leo started explaining some things, “She’s been having nightmares ever since we’ve had the dreams from the Olympians. I think it’s Tartarus.”  
We tried to show our condolences and soon the topic was dropped but the conversation never picked up again.  
Because Abdur advised us to sleep and we both were tired so we didn’t try to contest him.  
My head hit the ground and I was fast asleep.


	16. Abdur

It had been one heck of a day, I had met Ares then Aphrodite who had appeared looking like on of those famous movie stars and her face kept switching from each one.  
Then we had fought some Arai and Keres. When Hazel was cursed because of one of the Arai I had completely lost it.   
I killed two of the Keres. Percy and Annabeth had been, though they got one each.  
The amount of Arai had also decreased because Leo killed one but also got cursed.  
I told Nico and Will to defend the ones who had fallen, while I summoned skeletons to help me.  
I also tried to get the darkness to move around us and help me fight. For some reason, whenever it got to an area with more shades, my powers were multiplied.  
Two more Arai were killed because of my skeletons who had disintegrated as soon as they killed one.  
I lunged at the final spirit of curses with my sword drawn and plunged it into the spirits body.  
I instantly fell with searing pain, all over my body. There was only one though circumnavigating my brain. ‘Not the King of Ghosts anymore.’

I got up despite the pain because from my peripheral vision, I had seen the final Ker sneaking up on us.  
When all was said and done, I had ended up with a curse and three scratches as I felt my life force leave me.  
I hadn’t felt such a big presence and aura of death since the battle of Camp Jupiter.  
But we got our hope back as Athena appeared and healed all of us. She then said that I was a risk but an interesting one.  
That’s also when I found out about the Olympian Council voting for my fate at the Summer Solstice.  
I had gained the respect of Athena who would be supporting me at the Council.  
I hoped that the other Olympians would also see her point of view and not kill me.

Then we set up camp and had the best burgers ever courtesy our Bad Boy McShizzle.  
Frank also taught me about fatal flaws. I mean I had the best new family ever.  
Everyone cared about each other, I mean Frank had barely known me but accepted me.  
Nico and Hazel were also the best siblings ever. And I knew that if a situation ever came, I would be ready to give my life for them.  
I told Leo and Frank to sleep when they looked tired from staying up for so long.  
The whole night was left to me and my thoughts, wondering how bad our situation would get.

Everyone started waking up at a very early time in the morning, starting with Piper and in the span of 10 minutes, we had everyone ready to start walking again.  
Will asked Leo a question, “So how much more walking would he have to do now.”  
Leo answered, “Well my very sunny friend, we have only half an hour of walking left.”  
Percy then enthusiastically said, “Well then what are we waiting for Captain Leo.”  
We started continuing north towards the R.O.F.L store. After half an hour of continuous walking, we reached a clearing in the grassy area around us.  
The sign on the building made out of broken down grey marble read, ‘Rainbow Organic Food and Lifestyles.’  
Just like my dream there were two woman in front of the store, both wrapped in Golden Chains.

There was a singular cyclops standing in front of them with a club, guarding them.  
Annabeth announced, “Looks like we’ve made it here. But there’s no sign of Kampê anywhere.”  
“It does look weird but maybe we should consider ourselves lucky.” Percy was optimistic.  
Calypso then voiced out her thoughts, “Well we should hurry then because I do not want to face a monster that all of you would rather ran from than fight.”  
Everyone agreed with her and collectively agreed on letting Calypso and Leo break the chains, while they rest of us stood on guard duty.  
Piper was the first one to walk up to the cyclops, and from afar it sounded like she had convinced the Cyclops to drop its weapon.  
Then it was met to its end with Katoptris, being inserted in to its chest as it turned to dust.  
We all ran over and let our friends start working on breaking the chains all the while making sure no one sneaked up on us.  
Turn out there was no need to sneak up on us because the second Leo started working on the chains. A roar was heard.

Kampê had a human head, with snakes for hair, and like a centaur she had two halves, however unlike the centaurs, she had reptilian skin and a dragon half, with gigantic claws.  
Even though she was at least 50 feet away, it felt like I was standing in acid fog, her eyes blinked sideways like snakes and the language she spoke was akin to rumbling.  
Her dragon half was black with white stripes down her back. She has huge dark reptilian wings, a huge venom-dripping scorpion tail.  
At the point where her halves met, her skin was bubbling and morphing, occasionally it produced ferocious mutated animal heads that constantly changed shape.  
Such as a bear, boar, wombat, tiger, crocodile, wolf. It looked like a gruesome, monstrous belt. Hundreds of violent darting vipers were sprouted from her legs.  
She carried two different weapons with her. On one hand, she had a very sharp Scimitar, that had a green liquid dipping off it.   
They glowed with a weird greenish aura, boiling wisps of vapor that smelled sour and hot even across the yard.  
On the other hand, she held a huge fiery whip, which was being kept in tandem with her venom-laced Scorpion tail.  
A mere sight at her, made me shudder in fear. Percy and Annabeth screamed as the Monster charged, “RUN.”  
We forgot everything and started doing a mad dash but were stopped when she threw a spike from her tail towards our direction.

I called out to everyone and we gathered in front of Iris, the infernal monster started running at us and everyone had started to question me.  
Neither did I know, if this would work or it was another one of Tartarus’ nefarious plans.  
But just when she was about to slice her scimitar down at us, I focused all my energy.  
And I created a dome of pure darkness and shadows to solidify and form a shield around us.  
When everyone opened their eyes, they were shocked to be in complete darkness.  
Percy asked innocently, “Are we? Are we? Are we dead.”   
Nico was shocked but then he explained, “No none of you are dead. Abdur has somehow caused the shadows and the essence of the underworld to solidify into a shield.”  
Everyone was shocked while I was just feeling myself being drained as Kampê hit the roof of the doom.  
Calypso asked very confused, “Wait can children of Hades, even do that? What about you Nico.”  
“I didn’t know we could do that. I mean can I even do it.” Nico muttered out.  
I barely pieced together a sentence, “Need. Help. Please. Nico.”

That got his attention back to the situation on hand and he started helping me by channeling his energy to create the shield.  
I think the power required got to him as well because he spluttered out, “Too much power needed. How are we holding this.”  
Hazel tried to help us by creating a shield of rocks over our dome but that also did nothing as Kampê effortlessly destroyed it.  
Leo and everyone else were trying their level best to break through the chains holding Iris.  
Nico fell next to me and barely muttered out an apology, “Sorry...can’t keep longer.”   
I gently scolded him while taking back the pressure of holding up the dome. “Neeks, don’t blame yourself.”  
Will had come to his side and was helping him drink some Nectar, while asking Leo for how much longer it would take.  
“Well I’m working with a who knows what type of metal, so I’d say five minutes.” Leo quickly replied.

Piper voiced my concerns for me, “I know that Leo but I don’t think so Abdur can hold this thing up for any longer.”  
While I did agree with her, neither did I want to let anyone down so I kept pushing my self.  
For a few more minutes, the pounding continued as I kept getting drained, Nico had gotten back up but he was still dazed.  
I didn’t understand, how I had a power this strong, to the point where Nico did not know it was possible.  
Silently, I thanked Hades for each and every power, I had gotten because we were only alive right now because of the dome.  
Leo screamed “Voila, it’s just done in a seco-“  
He was cut short as I lost power over the shield and for just a moment, it faltered.  
I wouldn’t imagine the next scene in my worst nightmares. The scimitar came down on the location where Leo was standing.  
And in a blast of yellow flames, he was gone. Calypso let out an anguished scream. “LEEEOOOOO.”  
She starts sobbing and no one can believe what has just happened. I start apologizing profusely.  
The adrenaline rush gave me the will power to start the shield of darkness once more.  
“I’m so sorry. It’s my fault. I couldn’t hold the dome for long enough.”  
But then I realize something as everyone tells me it’s not my fault. “He’s not dead.”

Calypso filled with anger and resentment says, “How can you even say that. He’s gone.”  
“When someone I know dies, my ears start ringing and I can sense there death.” I calmly explained  
“Yes, he’s telling the truth.” Nico supports my statement.  
I then continued my point, “I didn’t feel his death at all. Did you feel it Nico and Hazel?”  
Nico shook his head and said, “No I did not, when it happened the first time with Leo....I felt it.”  
Hazel also explained that she did not have this ability to a higher degree, maybe due to Romans focusing on Hades being a god of riches more than the dead.  
“Percy remember when your mom was taken by Hades.” I made Percy remember.  
He sighed and then said, “Well no offense but I did not really appreciate that moment but yes I remember.”  
I worked on my theory, “What if Leo was taken by an Olympian to protect him.”

Everyone liked that belief and trusted Nico and I when we said that he wasn’t dead.  
Will then reminded us all, “Well I do like the fact that a favor has been done for us. We should work on freeing Iris.”  
Our shield was deteriorating, even though Nico was standing next to me and helping me hold it up.  
No matter what our friends did or tried, the chains holding Iris would not break.  
Frank sighed because he was exasperated, “I used my stick of life to burn through the chains of death. But what is supposed to burn through a rainbow.”  
No one had any idea whatsoever. And the darkness certainly wasn’t helping matters.  
The only light available was the faint glowing from our weapons. The celestial bronze weapons glowed a light bronze.  
Hazel and Frank’s Imperial Gold weapons had a royal glow of its name sake material.  
While Nico and I stuck out the most, with our swords that had a very sinister yet powerful glowing purple hue.

That’s when I noticed the area around me getting filled with more light which was confusing.  
Until Calypso questioningly asked, “Abdur, since when can you also control fire?”  
Nico obviously knew about it and explained as I watched the fire in my hand fascinatingly.  
“It’s Black Hellfire, more destructive than normal flames, as it turns whatever it touches into liquid. It can be considered as dangerous as Greek Fire.”  
I asked him, hoping he would say yes, “But please tell me that you can also control it, Neeks.”  
“I can summon and propel it but I haven’t had any need to use it yet.” Nico explained. “It’s formed when all the five rivers of the underworld meet and flow into each other.”  
Everyone was shocked at that but Percy just pouted and said, “So now you both are even more powerful. Just great.”  
Annabeth just punched him on his shoulder and then jokingly asked, “Are you jealous, Seaweed Brain?”  
Percy just sarcastically groaned back in reply, “No way Wise Girl. Why would I be jealous of some super cool powers.”  
That made everyone burst into tears of laughter and really helped cut through the tension.

But most importantly, a lightbulb light over my head as I exclaimed, “I’ve got it.”  
Hazel asked me for details, “You’ve got what?”  
I obliged and started explaining, “Rainbows stand for hope, and the opposite of that is giving up.”  
Piper nodded her head and agreed, “Yes and the spirit of hope is being protected by Hestia, the last Olympian.”  
In agreement, I continued, “Black hellfire stands for what each river stands for. The Cocytus. Misery.”  
Percy shook his head and then said, “Been there and going through it is not a recommended experience.”  
“The Phlegethon, the river of Fire. Acheron, the River of Pain and Sorrow. Lethe, river of forgetfulness. And the last but not least, The River Styx or River of Hatred.”  
I could picture it in my mind, the five rivers colliding in a marsh forming Black Hellfire.  
“They stand for the faults with humanity. A rainbow stands for hope, the only thing to cut through it is the regrets and mistakes.”  
Everyone could see what I was hinting at and let out a collective ohh. It definitely made sense.  
“That was the smartest connection, I have ever seen made.” Calypso praised me.  
While I did appreciate that, I just hoped it would work otherwise, well I tried not to think about it.

I walked over to Iris and a cloud nymph who were in chains, all the while holding the shield with Nico.  
The fire left my hand and started melting the chains into a fine liquid. In a minute, Iris was free of her bonds.  
She spoke her first words since we had arrived, “Thank you for saving me. I shall repay that favor.”  
The goddess then left through the shielded dome and we heard sounds of immense battle.  
Percy, Frank and Hazel introduced us to the Cloud Nymph, Fleecy. When I asked why she was apologizing in my dreams.  
She became defensive but still explained that she heard someone whisper to her, and told her that Iris was stressed and needed some time to just relax.  
She didn’t know what got over her but she wanted to do as she was instructed but they got ambushed by Kampê, the moment they had exited the store.  
Piper muttered loudly, “It was Khione. She said that we would face a greater challenge.”  
After a minute, the rainbow goddess entered the shield and told us that we were safe now.  
As soon as I let go of the dome, I collapsed onto the ground with Nico. I hadn’t realized, how much power it was actually taking from me.  
Hazel and Frank rushed to my side while Nico fell into Will’s hands. Hazel started praising me.  
“You’ve done a great job Abdur.” She kissed me on my cheeks in a show of sisterly gratitude.

Iris thanked us again for our service and asked us for a favor that she could grant.  
“Leo...is he alive? Can you bring him back here?” Calypso stuttered out before any of us.  
Iris just looked at us sideways, “While he is alive, I am not allowed to bring him back. You will meet him soon.”  
We all said oh and were disappointed on hearing that he couldn’t be brought back. She said he was alive which was very relieving.  
Frank then asked, “Can we be transported to the nearest entrance of the underworld?”  
Percy and Annabeth both nodded and then they spoke agreeing with Frank, “Yes it would be easier for us to reach there.”  
Iris took a minute to process our request, undoubtedly thinking if that would be allowed.  
“I can send you to the Dead on Arrival Recording Studios, as it is the closest entrance.”  
Nico nodded then agreed with Iris, “She’s right, that is the closest entrance that everyone here can take.”  
Piper questioned him, “What do you mean, everyone here can take?”  
I understood and answered the question for Nico, “There is one more entrance that is closer but non children of Hades can’t use it.”  
Will looked very confused and asked me, “If it’s true then how did you know that?”

I couldn’t really explain it, because it was just a feeling to me. I felt close to home in a way.  
“I don’t know, it just felt like a strong homing sense to me. Like how the water heals Percy.”  
He nodded at that to say that he agreed with me. I mean I did not even truly understand the feeling.  
But Nico was in full support and said that what I was telling was the truth and it was like that.  
“Well if that is decided, you all will be now transported to the DOA studios.” Iris announced.

The process of teleportation was definitely weird, I definitely liked shadow traveling more than this.  
For one thing, my powers seemed to be draining and I was losing energy as I went through the rainbow.  
Another drawback was the fact that the light was searing my skin and the only one that looked not affected was Will.  
As we arrived in front of the studios, I don’t know what got over me because I fell.  
The last thing I remember hearing before my vision going dark and losing consciousness were my friends screaming at each other to get me before I fall.

In my dreams, I was in front of a brick building that was divided into sections leading of the other buildings.  
It read ‘Eleanor Roosevelt High School’ on the front sign. I don’t know why I had been brought here.  
A satyr and one of the most pretty girls I had ever seen. She looked like she was maybe 15.   
She had a fair and light skinned complexion and had warm curly golden blonde hair with a some freckles.  
Both of them seemed very worried for some reason and were leaving the building in a rush but I did not discover why.  
I felt like I was being yanked away in my dreams again. This time I fought it and forced my self to reach some where else.  
This is also when I discovered, I had limited hypnokinesis as I felt myself leave my body.  
I was trying to make it to Camp Half-Blood when I was interrupted by very powerful dream waves.

Following the dream waves, I found myself outside of Cabin 15, the Hypnos Cabin.  
While I hadn’t met any of them personally, I presumed that they were the cause of the dream waves.  
The cabin was made of mud walls and a rush roof. A wreath of red poppies hung on the door.  
The whole cabin was made to like an old-fashioned prairie house, it wasn’t dramatic compared to the other cabins.  
As I entered the cabin I noticed a a hearth with a crackling fire. Above the mantel hung Hypnos' symbol: a poplar tree branch dripping milky-white water from the River Lethe, into a collection of tin bowls.  
Soft violin music was playing, and the air smelled like fresh laundry. Just being in the cabin made me feel sleepy.  
I saw a blond haired boy with wedge-shaped head and a gentle, bovine face, chasing a glass of hot chocolate.

He had thick features and a thick neck. His body was stocky but with spindly little arms.  
I did not know, how to react so I just coughed and brought his attention to me.  
He grinned as he saw me, “Hey you must be the new Champion of Hades, Abdur was it?”  
I nodded and continued, “Yes that’s me but I’m sorry I don’t know you. I barely met anyone.”  
He just shook his head and shooed my apology away, “It’s ok. I’m Clovis, counselor of Cabin 15.”  
I nodded and then asked him, “So did you bring me here? Or was I brought here for some reason.”  
He looked at me confused, “Well no but I did want to tell you that our Iris messages are down for some reason.”  
I explained why they were down, detailing the fact that Kampê had imprisoned Iris but know they would be working.  
His eyes gleamed with happiness but he yawned, which for some reason made me also want to yawn.  
I then continued to ask him, “How’s Camp holding up. Have there been any attacks?”  
He sighed and looked at me all sad then explained that the camp has been fighting a constant battle against monsters.  
They keep coming and each day, a harder wave comes. The morale among the campers is very low.  
The Ares Cabin has also declared that they would not help us defend camp if the Hephaestus cabin did not give them all the spoils of wars collected.

I spent a few minutes just listening to everything that had happened since we had left.  
Then when it was my turn to speak, I gave our side of the story and from the look of his face.  
It was clear that he would rather be at Camp than be outside with us, going through what we are.  
“You’re about to wake up now.” Clovis informed me as I felt my self leaving the world of dreams.

I woke up with a gasp and started to inspect the surrounding area, it had become nighttime.   
I remembered clearly when we had finished the battle with Kampê, it had been around afternoon.  
But now the darkness covered the sky as I continued to look around. Will was sitting next to Nico who was also waking up.  
Percy, Annabeth and Calypso were asleep. While Frank and Hazel in collaboration with Piper were looking out for threats.  
When Will saw Nico and I begin to wake, he informed everyone who in turn also woke up.  
I groaned because my body was still in immense pain while my head continued to split in half.  
“How long have I been unconscious?” I asked not aiming my question to anyone in particular.  
Piper answered, “Both of you have been asleep for hours. We were waiting for you to wake up before we continued in.”  
She pointed at the building behind next to us, it was of a steel gray color and read, “DOA recording studios.”  
I continued to ask, a little more concerned, “Why didn’t you all wake me up right then?”  
Will answered, “Abdur you and Nico were both turning in to shadows. The amount of power both of you used was too much.” He took a deep breath and continued. “I was afraid one of you would enter into a shadow coma.”  
That made me feel very bad and I thanked my friends for caring for me so much.

Everyone had finally woken up while Annabeth announced, looking at the building, “Dead on Arrival Recording Studios, the main entrance to the underworld.”  
As we entered and read the doors on the lobby: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.   
Inside the lobby, muzak music played and the carpet and walls were steel gray. There was black leather furniture and an elevator.  
There were so many ghosts and other spirts floating around, each one turned to look at us as we passed.  
A few bowed respectfully. Some muttered, ‘Ghost King’ and ‘King of Ghosts’.  
Limited amounts of them even sneered at us, as of it was our fault that they were dead.  
  
On a raised podium, a tall and elegant, man sat with chocolate-colored skin and bleached-blond hair, shaved into military style. His eyes were empty, full of death and despair.  
He wore tortoise-shell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag. Charon.  
“Hopefully, he’ll take us across the River Styx, but just in case do we have any drachmas.” Nico asked us.  
I looked in my charred backpack which I surprisingly hadn’t lost, there were about 30 drachmas.  
After we had reassurance, we walked over to Charon as he greeted us warmly, “Master Hades has been waiting for you all.”

He lead us down an elevator and on to his ferry and started taking us across the polluted River Styx.  
The whole River was filled with broke toys, torn diplomas, and whatever forms of misery existed.  
For some reason, the underworld felt homely. Like I belonged here, there would be a place for me here.  
Besides Hazel and Nico, the rest of my friends certainly looked worried about being with the dead.  
Everyone got close to each other, just to feel the warmth of another living being.  
  
We were stopped at the gates of Erebos, the great obsidian black walls of Hades Kingdom.  
Guarding them was Cerberus, he was a terrifying and gigantic black and mahogany three headed Rottweiler dog.  
He was wearing a chain collar with three holes and had blood-red eyes, razor-sharp teeth and nails, he also had a snake for a tail.  
It reminded me of Chimera, which I also remembered reading as his sister, but one served bad people.  
While he did look scary. His actions portrayed a whole new picture, he ran to us with three red balls in each mouth.  
For a second I would’ve though that we would’ve turned into hell hound chow.  
  
Instead, the head on the left just dropped the ball at Annabeth’s foot while licking her.  
She looked very happy to be back here, she gave him a few scratches to which he responded very well.  
The middle head was asking for scratches from Nico and trying to lick him as well.  
The rightmost head sniffed at me for a few seconds before dropping the ball and barking loudly.  
“Hey Cerberus, do you want this ball?” I said as I playful shook the ball in the air.  
I threw the ball straight up and he jumped to reach it but it was hard to be coordinated when two other heads are distracted.  
His blood red eyes, looked at us with glee and joy. Soon he let us pass but whimpered as we left.  
Calypso asked, “Was it just me or did I see the hound of Hades be very playful.”  
“Yes, he’s been like that ever since I convinced dad to play with him more often.” Nico casually responded


	17. Abdur

After walking continuously for a few minutes, we reached a palace made of glittering black obsidian, with a black marble portico.  
It was magnificent, I had not seen such beauty ever and the underworld was the last place I expected something like this to be found.  
The palace was run by skeleton servants and guarded by the skeletons of dead soldiers.   
That was the other thing that I had noted, while I did expect the underworld to overflow with spirits, skeletons and other creatures.  
I did not expect it to be of this magnitude, it was as if the amounts were increased to be copious.  
“Nico, is it just me or are there more creatures of the underworld than normal?” Percy asked.  
In reply, Nico nodded and explained, “I think that the security and defense of the underworld has gone up because of the attacks from Tartarus.”  
It was clearly noticeable as I had seen at least ten other hell hounds besides Cerberus.  
There were also many smaller ranks of skeletons in complete battle armor patrolling the surrounding areas.  
But to top it all off, uncountable amounts of winged daimons flew through the air keeping an eye out for intruders.

There was a garden in front of the palace. It was the most beautiful yet weird garden I had seen.  
The air in it was cool and damp. In a way it was refreshing. A brook wended through the middle of the garden.   
There were luminous plants that grew without sunlight, which I assumed wasn’t abundant in Hades’ Kingdom, such as beautiful subterranean trees which were glowing in the dark.  
White birch trees soared into the air like frozen ghosts, along with orange blossoms that glowed neon bright in the dark.  
There were also poisonous scrubs and multi-colored mushrooms. In the center an orchard of pomegranate trees was present, its fruit had an overwhelmingly sweet tart smell.

Seemingly trying to compensate the lack of normal flowers, there were precious jewels, such as clumps of raw diamonds and piles of rubies as big as my fists.  
There were also crystal trees and flower beds overflowed with golden plants and gemstones. The paths, sculpted with rubies and topaz. The light from the plants was reflected off the jewels.  
Skeletal trees grow from marble basins, and flowers bloom blood-red and ghost white.

In the middles there were flowerbeds of two completely different flowers that were bio-luminescent.  
The first flowerbed was filled with flowers that glowed silver and complimented the darkness of the underworld.  
“How did you get those flowers here?” Calypso was very confused and asked us.  
Nico just shrugged then shook his head, “I don’t know. They weren’t here last time.”  
None of us recognized the flowers besides Calypso, Percy and Nico.   
Frank decided to go ahead and ask, “I’m sorry if I should know this but what type of flowers are they and why is it not supposed to be here?”  
“It’s Moonlace.” Calypso started explaining. “It’s supposed to be only found at Ogygia.”  
Annabeth also enlightened us a little more, “It can only be planted at night time, so the underworld is the ideal place to grow it.”

That cleared a lot of our doubts but how it got there was left to our imagination.  
The other patch or bloom of flowers had a brighter palette of colors than the Moonlace.  
They were a volley of mixed colors, red and orange blended beautifully with a prominent hue of blue.  
It looked so much like a picture of a dying star I had seen that there wouldn’t have been any surprise for me, if I had been told that it was a Death Star flower made from the essence of dying stars.  
I mean it definitely would not have been the craziest thing I had seen or heard till yet.

The ruler of Ogygia was even more shocked at seeing this flower here, “Nico, please tell me you know something about this.”  
Another shake of the head came from Nico, “No unfortunately I don’t know but what is this flower?”  
“It’s Star Streak. Isn’t it?” Annabeth asked, but it looked like she already had her answer.  
Calypso nodded her head, “Yes but how did you know about it. I thought no one would even know it exists.”  
Before anyone could say anything else Piper asked for an explanation, “It would be nice if everyone knows what it is.”  
Calypso apologized and begun to explain, “Well it is one of the rarest flowers on Ogygia. I only had five my self.”  
“It’s said that if used properly, it can cure every type of magic curse. But no one could find it.” Annabeth continued for Calypso.

That helped everyone understand, why the flower was so important and why it was rare.  
“Also just as a heads up, do not touch the flowers. They are extremely flammable and on touch burst into flames.” Calypso warned us.  
I was now very interested, “So how did you tend to the flowers, without touching them.”  
She gestured towards her clothing, which was a very casual plain green T-shirt and jeans.  
“I learned to make completely fire proof clothing. It didn’t affect the Star Streak either.”  
That was good to know before one of us touched the flower and went up into flames.  
  
A dark covered veranda overlooked the garden with a silver throne, a table, and a shadow fountain in the corner.   
Accompanied, were a pair of thrones, one bone and one silver, sat on the balcony with a view of the Fields of Asphodel, where there were many poplar trees and wandering souls.  
The breakfast table was adorned with Star Streak and Moonlace flower arrangements that also sat on the balcony.  
We left the garden and continued through the pure black Obsidian gates, which opened by themselves.  
We entered the Palace as we saw several magnificent halls made entirely of pure gold and silver, decorated with bouquets of flowers made of precious metals and jewels.  
The immense amounts of jewels and gold was really breathtaking. I had never seen this much riches in my life.  
Sitting upon a huge black onyx throne decorated with many skulls, was Hades, my patron god. He was a very tall, imposing and muscular person. 

For some reason, I saw a lot of myself in the man sitting on the giant throne and Nico.  
Not fitting in with people. Brooding about losses. Everyone being afraid of you.  
Feeling closer to the Dead rather than the Living. Identifying with my patron and brother was really easy.  
The throne was surrounded by many hellhounds and dead U.S. revolutionary soldiers, British Redcoats, Greek warriors, Roman Legionnaires, Modern U.S. soldiers, and Confederate soldiers.  
The only reason for recognizing every different guard was because of personally viewing some of them and studying history.

Hades had intense black eyes that glittered like frozen tar. He also had a beard, and wore flowing robes with evil souls, that tried to escape, threaded into the cloth.  
His giant Stygian Iron sword was kept to his right. In addition, he also wore two rings, a sliver skull one and an opal one.  
All my friends bowed respectfully besides Nico. As Hades talked to a shimmering soul, he looked tense and weak.  
But for a second, I could’ve swore that when he saw Nico, Hazel and I. The tenseness left his face and his glance softened at us.  
It was still strong and stoic but it was softer than, what it had been, talking to the soul.

“While I do appreciate them, there are no needs for such formalities.” Hades voice sounded oily.  
Nico spoke for the group, “Hey Dad. You had asked for us to come here right.”  
He nodded and then said, “Yes but before that, about your friend that I rescued.”  
That had everyone’s hopes renewed and we let out a collective sigh of happiness as Leo walked into the room.  
Calypso was the most relieved as she ran up to him, gave him a solid punch then kissed him.  
“Don’t you ever do that to me again, Leonidas.” She said as she kept him wrapped in a hug.  
Leo grinned widely and said, “All of you missed me, didn’t you. And I love you too Sunshine.”

Calypso let him go and with a straight face said, “Don’t be foolish, I still hate you more than anyone.”   
We all welcomed him back then I apologized, “I’m sorry for not being able to keep up the shield.”  
He just rolled his eyes at me, “Come on Zombie Dude. It wasn’t your fault, but how did you get guys get Iris free.”  
Hades coughed to get our attention, “I hope you wouldn’t mind if all of you could take this reunion to Persephone’s Garden. I need a few minutes with my children.”  
Piper with the rest of my friend thanked Hades for saving Leo and then starting walking to the garden.  
“Please don’t eat any of the fruits. I don’t want any one stuck here.” Hades warned them.

Our friends left, leaving behind Hazel, Nico and I to talk to Hades, who wanted to say something.  
For a minute, he sat there and looked at us earnestly. Then he got off his throne.  
“I’m very happy that all of you have survived so far. But could one of you please explain, how has Leo not driven you crazy yet.” The lord of the underworld shot us a weak smile.  
That calmed me down. While Hazel chuckled and said, “I think he does try hard.”  
“Mister Hades, I just wanted to say thank you for choosing me as your champion.” I spluttered out.  
“There is no need for the Mister.” Hades plainly said. “How are you Nico?”

Nico replied, “I am fine but you called us to your kingdom, right. What’s going on?”  
Hades continued to explain that the kingdom was under attack and the only reason we were brought here was because the smartest way would be to attack Tartarus, when he least expects us to.  
Then he also told us about the Summer Solstice, and how the Olympians wouldn’t be pleased because he made me a champion of his and doing so might cause a power disparity.  
He also explained that the way, a champion is made included the Patron having to give a part of his divinity.  
That allows the mortal to technically become a half-blood. The amount of divinity given is equal to the amount of powers received.  
And since Hades had given a big chunk of his power, that is why I am one of the most powerful half bloods in a long time.

He also mentioned the fact that none of the other Olympians would be brave enough to try this.  
As it causes immense use of power, and leaves the patron incapacitated for a few days.  
“I knew from day 1 that Tartarus would be the greatest threat. That’s why I choose you.” Hades explained to us. “None of the Olympians were taking the threat seriously.”  
He then finally told us how Tartarus took advantage of his weakness and started the greater attacks when he was incapacitated.  
“Dad I think that Tartarus or someone else is affecting Shadow Traveling because when Abdur and I, tried to use the shadows.” Nico was still confused on one minor detail. “They were draining us and trying to stop us from using them.

Hades calmly replied, “No. It wasn’t Tartarus trying to stop you. It was me, I did it so Tartarus would not have a way to transport Abdur, Hazel or you into the Pit.”  
That cleared a lot of confusion for us because at least we knew the reason of our troubles.  
“If we don’t stop Tartarus before the summer solstice. It’s the end of the world as we know it.” Hades finished.  
That left us shellshocked until Hazel finally asked the dreaded question, “How do we stop him?”  
“I had asked the same question to Apollo.” Hades begun explaining. “He told me that the only way is if one of the half bloods of the quest, jump into Tartarus and fight him there.”  
That made the situation even worse. Now the part of the sacrifice, started making a lot of sense to me.  
Nico gulped, “There’s got to be another way. This can’t be it. Maybe Apollo read the prophecy wrong.”  
Hades shook his head, “Unfortunately, no. I wish there was another way but-

He was interrupted by a loud explosion that came from the garden. All of us rushed through the palace.  
When we finally entered the garden which was surrounded by the guards and hellhounds.  
We noticed the two ten feet tall people standing with weapons drawn. At first, I was confused on who they were.  
That was until both of them introduced themselves as Titans of the South and the East.  
The Titan that stood on the right side wore black armor, that had white spots glistening occasionally, with an accompanying helmet shaped like a Ram’s head with horns.  
He kept a massive sword to his right and he had a powerful aura. But it wasn’t like the ones I had seen on the Olympians.  
It was older, more primitive but raw as if the energy wasn’t natural. Not wanting to be controlled.  
Everyone in the garden had also drawn there weapons and kept them trained at the Titans.

The Titan to the left was more muscular, had a beard and kept a crueler look on his face.  
His skin glowed fiercely, like the color of polished pennies. His eyes were like miniature sun’s but they had a harsher glow to them.  
He was wearing blazing golden armor that lit up the area around him. His weapon of choice was a longsword, that looked like it was made out of Imperial Gold.  
The harsh light surrounding him was stark in contrast to the darkness of the underworld, which I quite enjoyed.  
The Golden Titan shot us a cruel sneer before speaking, “I am Hyperion, the Lord of the Light.”  
While the Titan that had stars now appearing on his armor yawned and said, “Nobody cares Hyperion. For I am Krios. The Ram. Titan of Stars and Constellations.”

I don’t think Percy or Annabeth were expecting to see either of them because after the initial shock left them, Percy stammered.  
“How...how...but you’re not supposed to be alive. Tartarus killed you both, so how are you here.”  
The sentiment was shared by Annabeth because she continued talking after Percy was met with laughter from the Titans.  
“But Bob isn’t alive, is he? So why did you both make it.” Athena’s Daughter started getting angrier. “If Bob and Damasen did not survive, then neither do you both.”  
She got laugh’s in reply from Hyperion and Krios until the self-proclaimed Lord of Light looked to his right and noticed the Star Streak.  
He scorned at our friends that were standing in the garden while we overlooked from the veranda.  
“The owner of this garden dare keep such an insult to Krios and I, The Titan of Heat. Whosoever is the own-“

He was interrupted as Hades transported us and himself down to where our friends were standing.  
The Lord of the Underworld screamed at the Titans, “What will you Titans dare do against Persephone and I?”  
Krios turned his head to his left side then gave us a smile followed by a snort.  
“Oh Rich One. We are the Titans of the South and East. And you are nothing but a son of Kronos. Our younger brother.”  
That infuriated Hades even more as he shouted at the Titans, “You dare come to my Kingdom and insult ME.”  
Hyperion took lead as he tried to spite us, “Look everyone the all weak Hades and his little pets have arrived.”  
I had enough of these two and took out my sword, “Now listen. There are two ways we could do this.”  
My friends saw where I was leading the conversation to. So all of them got to my side with their weapons drawn.

Nico was to my right with his Stygian Iron Sword that looked very identical to mine.   
I had seen many monsters that were simply afraid of the sight of Stygian Iron.  
But the two Titans simply laughed at us while Hazel and the rest of my friends were standing side by side.  
I announced, “Now either you willingly surrender or we could destroy you. But how would Tartarus feel having to revive you.”  
The anguish on the faces of the Titans proved that I had struck a cord with them.  
Krios decided to act smartly according to the predicament he was stuck in, “Now let’s be considerate. We’ve come with a prop-“  
He was interrupted by his brother who got infuriated and shot a blast of fire at Leo.  
Luckily all of us ducked out of the way besides Leo, who was immune to fire so the flame had no effect on him.  
Hyperion screamed while accusingly pointing at Leo, “First you keep Star Streak then you bring HIM HERE.”  
The intensity and hatred which he spoke with started making the generally cool area around us, heat up.

Calypso was confused and asked the Titans, “Why do you refer to Star Streak as an insult?”  
Krios smirked while Hyperion stopped thrashing around in anger. We were left in silence.  
The Ram asked Calypso, “Do you really not know the reason? Are you not the Daughter of Atlas?”  
Calypso’s face turned to a bright color as she quietly said, “Yes I am but I don’t support him now.”  
Hyperion, who had calmed down, questioned Calypso, “Why. Would you rather support the Olympians.”  
Calypso defiantly screamed at the Titans, “Yes I will. You Titans are nothing but trouble.”  
Krios laughed then continued talking, “Well Star Streak was formed as a way to mock Hyperion, and me. It if formed from the dying essence of stars to mock me, the Titan of Stars and Constellations.”  
Then Hyperion continued, “It was given abilities over flame because of the stars and to make fun of me.”  
Krios snickered, “Calypso, do you know why the flower appeared on your island?”  
Calypso was confused on whether she should answer the Titan Lord of the South or not.  
But the Titan decided to take the answer in to his own hands, “It was put there to mock you and Atlas.”

Even through all of this confusion and fighting with words, I noticed the four flying figures above us.  
Three of them were bat-like creatures and were carrying fiery whips that danced with the flames.  
At first, they had looked so much like the Arai that I feared they were on the Titans side.  
That was until I noticed the one hovering in the middle was Alecto. Leader of the Furies.  
There was also a lean and muscular man, with a regal face, honey gold eyes, and black hair flowing down his shoulders.  
His skin was the color of teakwood, and his dark wings glimmered in shades of blue, black, and purple.  
Had I been told at that time that he was the god of death. I would’ve found it have to believe.  
He was also carrying a scythe, the blade on it was made from Stygian Iron. He was keenly observing us.  
I don’t know it the Titans had noticed or cared about the fact that there were hordes of skeletons and daimons assembling around us.  
Each one was wearing armor and carrying weapons while the Hell Hounds around us started growling.

Hyperion started laughing then pointed at Percy, “Zoë Nightshade’s sacrifice will be in vain, Perseus.”  
That was the straw that broke the camels back because Percy wore a look of pure hatred and his grip on Riptide, tightened.  
“Take it back.” Percy said through ground teeth as Annabeth also screamed at Hyperion, “Zoë was a hundred times better than you or any of the other Titans.”  
Krios then sneered at Annabeth, “She went back on Atlas. And what did that get her. Death.”  
Hades coldly replied, “She went to Elysium while you and the Titans were banished to Tartarus.”  
Hyperion laughed at my patron, “Don’t worry. Soon everything will be under our control.”

Hades loudly said, “That is enough. Both of you have wasted enough time of mine.”  
Krios smiled at us then coldly said, “Thank you Hades. You have given our army enough to time to gather.”  
Frank could barely say, “What” before chaos and panic ensued as hordes of monsters rushed through the courtyard.  
A few portals opened leading out bigger monsters. I noticed a lot of Empousa, Cyclops and Dracaena charging.  
Then an even bigger portal opened with werewolves running out of it, and they looked hungry for blood.  
Hyperion laughed, “This is going to be a new golden era. THE TIME OF TARTARUS.”

Piper used her dagger to bring down hordes of Dracaena. Occasionally, charm speaking them to attack each other.  
Frank had turned into a grizzly bear and ran through the enemy lines while Hazel was swinging her Spatha at every monster.  
Percy was keeping up a hurricane around him while the monsters got doused.  
Annabeth kept instructing us and giving us sound advice on where the army of monsters looked weakest.  
But she wasn’t just talking and giving orders. She had killed dozens of monsters, each turning into dust.  
Calypso had taken a page out of Percy’s book. A huge tornado surrounded her and any unlucky monster that got close enough was flung a few hundred feet.

Leo was casually burning down the charging enemies but he winced as he continued, probably because it was draining him.  
The only enemy Leo faced any problems with were the Cyclops, who were fire proof.  
But he would receive aid from Will, who was using his bow with pinpoint accuracy. Every 2 shots equated to a monster shot down.  
Nico and I were doing our best to summon more skeletons and guards to help us out.  
We were having success. Maybe because of us being in the Underworld, or maybe the influence of Hades had rubbed off on us.  
Whatever the reason was. We were using our swords to slash and stab through enemy lines with ease.  
Hundreds upon hundreds of monsters disintegrated into a fine dust. Many would not see the light of the world again.  
Particularly due to our swords, which struck fear in the hearts of the lesser monsters.

Occasionally, the monsters that were charging would break into a panic and for no apparent reason run off before facing us.  
The reason was made clear to me as I looked to my left and saw Hades wearing a fear-striking helmet.  
It looked like it was forged from Celestial Bronze, and being decorated with scenes of death and destruction.  
He was not wearing it while we were in the throne room till it hit me like an anvil. The Helm of Darkness.  
That explained the ineffable terror being felt by the monsters, while some simply dropped dead.  
Even though the Helm’s powers were not being directed at my friends. I noticed some of them looking scared.  
Since the monsters kept coming and we had barely made a dent in their numbers. I decided on a different strategy.

“Nico.” I screamed as I brought my sword down on a surprised looked Empousa.  
He killed a few snake woman before replying, “Yes Abdur. Do you have a plan?”  
I nodded as I made a fissure under a few dozen unsuspecting monsters. All ranging from the average Dracaena to Cyclops and Werewolves.  
“We are barely making a dent in there numbers.” I referenced towards the monsters.  
After giving a few seconds pause to kill another Cyclops that tried to sneak up on me. I continued.  
“Why don’t we attack the ringleaders of the attack.” I said pointing at Hyperion and Krios, who were laughing and enjoying the carnage.  
Nico nodded as I warned him of a monster sneaking up on him, “Look out. Behind you.”  
He quickly ducked and put his sword through the Werewolf that had tried to sneak up on him.

“That sounds like a great idea.” Nico agreed with me as we charged towards the Titans.  
We ran through the monsters, holding our swords out to our sides and killing anything that got in our way.  
Soon we were in front of the two Titans, who looked shock to see us this far but quickly removed that expression from their face.  
Hyperion bellowed, “Well. Well. Well. It looks like Hades little children actually made it to us.”  
I shot back with a sarcastic remark, “Yea well it is pretty easy when all you do is sit there and laugh.”  
The Ram scowled at us, “Nico and Abdur. Hades has done nothing for you. Join us and you will get so much more.”  
“No.” I quickly screamed at the Titan. “I have gotten so much since I was made Hades Champion. A brother most of all. And I don’t want to lose any of it. I won’t.”  
I gestured at Nico and was glad to find that he returned my gesture back with a smile.  
“Yes. While that was cute and nice. It’s now time to die for you both.” Hyperion snickered as he took out his sword.

The giant Imperial Gold sword caught itself on fire while Krios followed his brothers actions and took out his sword.  
It was a giant xiphos, split down the middle with two different magic metals. One half consisted of Celestial Bronze while the other half was a different metal.  
The other half glittered a color of translucent white, sort of like a cross of silver and diamonds.   
I didn’t know what the material was but I did know that it looked pretty. Like hundreds of shining stars on a dark night.  
Both of the swords were roughly half in length compared to the bodies of the Titans.

The sight was impressive but utterly scary as well. Two Titans, both carrying their weapons and being covered in the respective aura of their domains.  
But I had gone through so much, that at this point, I wasn’t afraid of any thing.  
I took out my sword again while Nico followed the action. Krios just snickered in reply.  
“Puny little half-bloods with their puny little swords. Do you think we are afraid of Stygian Iron? Or scared of you because you are the children of the Underworld.”  
Nico replied with contempt, “You better be afraid of us. You’ve come into our kingdom but you won’t leave here.”  
I continued, my words doused in venom and sarcasm, “If I remember correctly. Both of you were defeated by half-bloods.”  
Nico and I stayed quiet to let our statement settle and hopefully anger the Titans into making a mistake.  
And if we got lucky enough, some of our other friends would come to help us.  
Or maybe even one of the Furies who were killing a huge group of Empousa with weapons.  
Thanatos was preoccupied with fighting a Lycanthrope that was bigger than the rest, maybe it was their leader.

And thankfully our strategy against the Titans worked well. Maybe a little too well.   
Hyperion sneered at me then roared, “STUPID NATURE SPIRITS. Perseus would not have survived in a long battle.”  
Krios gave a thin smile, “Admittedly, Jason got the better of me but what did that get him. Death.”  
I faltered, even though I hadn’t known Jason, he sounded like a true hero but unfortunately in the world that I found my self in, heroes died young.   
That was the sad truth of being a half-blood. Not many live long enough to have a happy life.  
Krios grinned, “I think it’s fair that he died. Because if I would’ve met him, then he would’ve prayed and begged for his death.” He paused to give Nico and I an eyeful.  
“Trust me. Children of Hades bring nothing but death to their friends. If not by our hands, your friends will die from YOU.”  
The Titan finished the last part with a lot of contempt in his tone. I had to remind myself not to believe him.  
Nico calmly replied, “No. Krios, this is it. Either you fight us or run away.” He pointed his sword at Krios.  
Hyperion stepped forward, “So be it.”

We started running in the directions of the Titans while Nico asked me, “I take out Ram head. You take on Hyperion.”  
“Sounds like a plan.” I said as I sliced through the Dracaena that tried to get in our way.  
I branched off to the right where Hyperion stood laughing with his glowing sword.  
I used my powers to open the earth under the Titan of Heat. He fell into the fissure.  
He roared which shook the ground around me, “You will PAY FOR THAT, HALF-BLOOD SCUM.”  
Then I forced skeletons to rise in numbers of hundreds but each got burned the moment they touched the Titan.  
The ground around me started freezing up and frosting again. I could feel immense power coursing through me.  
I charged at the Titan who was trying to get out of the hole by using his sword as an anchor.

Fortunately for the Titan, he got out using his sword and then blocked me from plunging my sword into his neck.  
He laughed at me before swinging his sword at me, which I barely parried before rolling out of the way.  
I tried to use my powers so I could bring tons of rock down on his head but the most I could muster up, were a few frozen stalactites.  
“Despair, Half-Blood. I am the Lord of the Light and you are a child of the Underworld. I don’t fear you.”  
Hyperion kicked me with his foot and I flew a few feet in the air before landing with a thud.

I tasted the coppery-iron blood starting to freely flow in my mouth as pain started erupting all over my body.  
I let go of the iron-grip on my sword as pain started traveling the length of my body.  
The pain kept coming in explosive waves. My blood felt like it was boiling and my skin was burnt on the point of impact.  
Luckily, my backpack had broken my fall otherwise my back would’ve had to do that job.  
My vision started to narrow to the likes of a tunnel. I could see the dots dancing around.  
This was how I felt against the Minotaur. As if it was hit by the both of them at once then dipped into boiling oil.

I tried to stand up using my sword as leverage, while telling myself ‘Get up. Your friends are counting on you.’  
When I finally stood, I fell back down with the searing pain refusing to get better.  
Hyperion slowly walked over, each step increasing the glow emanating form his body.  
Each step burning the ground and any unlucky spirt or monster that got in the way.  
As he stood over me he roared, “You thought that you could kill me? I am the Titan of the South. I am HYPERION.”  
He brought his sword down and I barely scurried out of the way. It was at this moment I realized that he wasn’t trying to kill me yet. He was playing with me.  
“You are no match to me. I will defeat you at my own accord. Not even Hades can save your petty life.” Hyperion laughed and mocked me.

I stood up, this time the pain left my body. My grip tightened on my sword, and I tried to charge again.  
I fought with a renewed passion, but Hyperion was still a more skillful opponent.  
Every attack of mine was parried and only met with uneasy laughter from Hyperion.  
He knew that he could tire me out especially if I used my powers more than my sword.  
After minutes of continuous striking, slashing, stabbing and blocking. The stalemate between us ended.  
I stabbed his left leg right below the knee, receiving a scream that hurt my ears.  
It sounded like a hundred men screaming in agony. Golden blood started to flow from the wound.

“I was about to have mercy on you. NOW YOU WILL SUFFER.” Hyperion screamed as the blood continued flowing.  
He rushed me at supernatural speeds and attacked. I was barely parrying the attacks.  
I knew that one strike from his glowing, flaming sword would mean my certain demise.   
Looking around, I noticed how wrecked and destroyed the kingdom had actually gotten.  
When I had initially entered the Underworld, it was beautiful and majestic in it’s own way.  
Now the whole kingdom lay wrecked. The gardens were on fire. My friends were getting overwhelmed.  
Even with Percy and Calypso’s storms holding up and flinging monsters away, it was impossible to defeat the excessive amounts.  
I’d heard the quote, ‘Quality over Quantity’ so many times but from this personal experience, I can say that it’s completely wrong.  
While we were stronger and smarter than most of the monsters here, the ratio must’ve been two thousand to each half-blood.  
Not to mention the reserve forces that somehow kept flowing from the portals.

I kept striking at the Titan. Each strike being met with Hyperion’s Flaming sword.  
The Lord of the East commended me, “You have fought well, better than most. While I do respect you for that, unfortunately you will perish like the rest of the heroes.”  
I had made up my mind. If I was going to lose my life, it would be on my own terms. And I would fight till the end side-by-side with my friends and my family. My sacrifice won’t be in vain.  
“Come on Hyperion. I’m not afraid of you.” I mocked the Titan and kept striking at him.  
The Titan did not show any signs of getting tired while I was exhausted. I knew that soon I would falter.  
“You have gained my begrudging respect. If you surrender now, I will save your life and let you live in Tartarus’ Era.” Hyperion gave me an offer.  
I spat at the Titan, “Are you delusional? I would rather die than serve you or Tartarus.”  
The Titan just put a sad look on his face, “You could’ve been useful but you made your choice. NOW DIE.”

He lunged at me and I decided to try and take advantage of Hyperion’s impatience in battle.  
As he jumped at me in superhuman speeds, I tried to sidestep him but unfortunately he must’ve been expecting that because he kept his sword to the side, where I was standing.  
That completely disrupted my concentration. I’m pretty sure if I wasn’t ADHD, I would’ve been ripped apart by that sword.  
Unfortunately, while I tried to move away from his slash, I fell backwards onto the floor.  
At this point, the Titan quickly got back up and stood over me triumphantly, as if he had decided that he already won.  
“As I said, you could’ve done so much more with us but all you heroes have a common fatal flaw. Stupidity.”  
He was taking time with his monologue while I was looking for an escape route.

I found none so I decided to do the most impulsive thing which would’ve won me the award for Most Impulsive Half-Blood of the Year.  
I lunged at Hyperion, my sword entered then exited through his chest while he let out a monstrous scream.  
The golden ichor started bleeding rapidly but as quickly as it happened, it stopped.  
Hyperion had healed in a matter of seconds, I couldn’t believe what had just transpired.  
“Puny, dumb half-blood. I am a Titan, you cannot defeat me this easily. I will make you regret fighting me.”  
Just as he said that, a giant six foot long Stygian Iron Blade pierced through the Titan.  
This time, however the wound did not heal as the sword exited his chest. The golden ichor flowed while Hyperion had a shocked expression on his face.  
“But how...how...did you defeat me? I am the Lord of Light. I am Hyperion.” The Titan boasted.  
Suddenly, from behind him, a familiar face came into view. Hades. He was still wearing his Helmet but his sword was covered in golden blood.

“Do you think that you will come into my kingdom, mock me, my wife and my children then defeat us.” Hades coldly asked Hyperion, who could only make gurgling sounds.  
However, the demeanor of the Titan quickly changed as he started laughing at us.  
Hades had a look of loathing on his face, “Now go back and tell Tartarus that you failed.”  
A portal opened underneath the Titan and he screamed as he fell through it. I hoped that the portal was the one-way ticket to Tartarus that he deserved so badly.  
But I couldn’t help but feel bad for almost failing against the Titan so I began to apologize.  
“I’m so sorry Mr Ha-I mean Hades. I mean Dad or Patron. I’m sorry I failed you. I couldn’t beat Hyperion.”  
The anger that was on his face subsided and his look softened, “I’m not mad at you. Both of you did well for keeping the Titans busy long enough. I mean Nico and you almost defeated Krios and Hyperion.”  
I was grateful that Hades was not mad at me so I gave him a thin smile but I flinched.  
That’s when all the pain came crashing back. During the battle, I had felt it leave as the adrenaline had kicked in.  
Hades looked at me very concerned, “You should probably go see Apollo’s son. He’s currently treating Nico.”  
I nodded my head then thanked him for all the abilities he had given me. I would’ve been destroyed without them.  
But I especially thanked him for letting me have Nico as a brother and for saving my life.

As I walked over to Will and Nico who had set up a small area where Will was treating everyone’s injuries.  
I noticed the extent of the damage around us. Annabeth was feeding some Ambrosia to Percy.  
He as well as Calypso were drained from keeping up the storms that incinerated thousands of monsters.  
Leo was tending to Calypso as she laid down on the fertile ground, exhausted from holding up a cyclone.  
Frank and Hazel, however were still fighting with passion, even though they were tired. They kept attacking at the monsters, who had now dwindled in numbers from thousands to hundreds.  
Piper was defending the area around Will and Nico, she did take a moment to eat some Ambrosia.

After I walked to Nico and Will, I noticed how sick and scared Will looked as he tended to Nico.  
I greeted them, “Hello Will. Hey Nico. How’d your part of the battle with Krios go?”  
They greeted me back but Will had one look at me and he adamantly said, “Abdur, sit here with Nico. Neither of you will leave until I’ve given permission to.”  
I wanted to argue but I felt exhausted and in pain to the point where I was ready to ask for help.  
I sat down next to Nico, who was getting some Nectar dripped into a cut on his leg.  
“So Nico, how did your battle with Krios go? Also what was his sword made out of?” I asked Nico.  
He quickly replied, “We were at a stalemate. Any move I made was blocked and vice versa. The skeletons I summoned were squished. I tried to make an earthquake appear under him.”  
Nico took a moment to breathe before continuing, “He was expecting that and somehow blinded me by flashing light at me. As he charged, Dad appeared then used his sword to kill Krios.”  
I nodded then explained my part of the story, after I was done, Will just looked at both of us in shock.  
“Wait so both of you have just defeated a Titan each and then act like it was no big deal?” Will asked us.  
I replied, “I mean it took everything from me. I don’t have any energy left and I feel like I’m turning into a shadow again.”  
Nico nodded, “Even in the underworld, using that much amount of powers is extremely tiring.”   
I yawned in agreement which earned Will’s laughter as Nico showed me a new trick.

While I knew that I could control shadows, even though I hadn’t mastered it yet.   
I didn’t know that I could use them to cover me and then heal me of my injuries.  
After trying that, I felt my cuts close at an accelerated rate and a lot of the tiredness leave me.  
Leo walked over to us while supporting Calypso on his shoulder, she still looked completely exhausted.  
He carefully set her down next to Will, who was nibbling on some Ambrosia to treat the injuries that he got in battle.  
Leo looked worried, “Hey Solace. Calypso‘s drained herself but she’s a mortal now. Can she still have Ambrosia or will it burn her up?”  
That had Will stumped, “But she’s still a Demi-Titan right? If so then she can have Ambrosia and Nectar.”  
That sounded like sound logic so Calypso had some Ambrosia which didn’t make her combust.

Leo walked over and sat next to me but I don’t think he noticed Nico and I covered in the darkness because he asked, “Where are the Death Boy’s?”  
He had sat right in between us and we looked at each other confused on whether he was joking or not.  
We decided on the latter and in sync, we screamed boo behind him. That got quite a reaction out of him.  
Will and Calypso giggled as Leo jumped then rolled backwards. Piper also saw what happened but she tried to keep more of a straight face.  
“Oh hello Death Boy. I didn’t see you there.” Leo tried to salvage himself from the situation.  
I coldly replied, “Don’t call me Death Boy.”  
“Ok Death Breath.” Leo snickered in reply but he only got a frown in reply from me.  
He tried to lean on Nico, who stepped backwards, allowing Leo to fall down. When he fell, he frowned.  
“Really you too? I though we were good friends, Dead Head.” Leo sarcastically replied.  
Nico just glared at him which made Leo quickly backtrack and take everything he said back.  
Soon everyone was laughing including Percy and Annabeth who were sitting next to Will.

It was nice to see my friends happy after a long time since the beginning of the quest.  
I decided to get up and bring Hazel and Frank back since they had been fighting monsters for the longest.  
I walked for a while and finally when I saw them, I noticed them being surrounded by Werewolves and Empousa.  
In a defensive move, I got my sword out and kept it steady in my hand. I was still covered in the shadows so I hoped my cover would not be blown.  
As I got closer, I heard one of the Empousa scream, “Where is he. WHERE IS ABDUR.”  
However, Hazel was adamant on keeping the safety of our group in check because she shook her head.  
One of the Werewolves got closer until they were shot by Frank, the Empousa hissed.  
“Where is Abdur. Master Tartarus knows that he is the only one that can stop him.”  
Hearing that line confirmed my suspicions and made my plan complete. I would have to jump into the pit.

Frank was confused and asked, “What do you mean that he is the only one that can stop Tartarus?”   
One of the other Empousa sliced the one that had given away their master plan.  
“She was a delusional Empousa. We need him because he killed our cursed Aunt Ari.”  
Well that confused my friends even more because Hazel asked, “Excuse me cursed Aunt?”  
The Empousa probably had enough at this point because she just smiled then said, “Die Demigods.”  
She lunged with the rest of her followers and Werewolves. I had also had enough because I lunged at the monsters.  
That removed the shadows covering me and bringing back some of the pain as well but luckily for me, most of it had subsided.  
My sword in cooperation with Hazel’s Spatha and Frank’s Bow, ran through monsters with ease.  
In a minute, three of us stood there with no monsters left to fight, Frank said, “We should probably go back.”  
I nodded then asked, “Wait so you both killed all the monsters? Weren’t there like thousands left.”  
Frank nodded then said, “Well Lord Hades’ Helm of Darkness, made all the monsters run away after Nico and you defeated the Titans. And if I’m being honest, the Helmet did a big number on me too.”

“What do you mean that the Helmet effected you?” I asked because I was genuinely confused.   
Frank might’ve been confused as well because he looked at me very confused.  
“I mean didn’t you feel the effect of the Helm. It was as if it was reaching into the darkest corner of my mind and pulling out my fears, and closely guarded secrets.”  
He wanted to crawl into one of the many holes in the ground then hide in fear.  
“Really, I didn’t feel anything like that, if anything, being in the Underworld made me feel stronger.” I answered stating my point of view.  
Frank had a quizzical look on his face, “That’s weird, I mean feeling stronger could be that you’re a child of the Underworld. What about you Hazel. Did you feel the Helm’s affect?”  
Hazel, who had a faint smile on her face as she keenly listened to our conversation, smiled in a silly way then answered.  
“I mean, I did feel it but barely and it was very faint, nonetheless I felt it and it was scary.”  
That got us even more confused, until I made a connection, “Didn’t the Romans refer to Hades/Pluto as more of the Gods of Riches rather than the Dead.”

Frank nodded in reply, “Yes while he was still the lord of the Underworld and the King of the Dead, he was more so referenced and referred to as the God of Riches.”  
I had an eureka moment, “That’s it. All children of Hades have complete immunity from the Helmet’s affect but children of Pluto, not so much.”  
That made sense to both the Roman Praetors, as they nodded and continued walking until we had reached Will.  
He was giving Percy some Nectar to apply on Annabeth’s right shoulder, because she had a massive gash, that had ripped through her Camp Half-Blood shirt.  
Nico looked a little better and Piper had also decided to take a break by sitting down and having some nectar.  
I looked around and saw Hades instructing The Kindly Ones. I excused my self to walk over and talk to him.  
“What do you mean that there have been escapee’s.” Hades screamed at the Furies. “Alecto, do you realize what this means?”  
I did feel kind of bad but I decided not to interrupt in matter of which I didn’t know.  
Alecto apologized then promised, “I’ll make sure that none of them get far from the Underworld.”  
“You better.” Hades growled at Alecto then sighed as the Furies flew away, probably to stop the prisoners that had escaped.

He looked extremely angry at what had just happened, from the ambush by the Titans to the Escape.  
But his gaze still softened when he saw me standing there and he asked me, concerned, “Hello Abdur, is everything ok? I hope you aren’t facing any difficulties here.”  
I smiled and shook my head, “No Mr. Hades, the-“  
He interrupted me, “Like I said, while I do appreciate the formalities, Hades or Dad is fine.”  
I continued, “No Dad, I haven’t faced any problems here, if anything I really like the Underworld. I’ve come here to talk to you about my plan.”  
He face gained a look of worry as I explained my plan until I finished and he tried to keep a brave face.  
“I’ll have a giant room ready for you, just in case, you don’t make it back.” He smiled at me.  
I laughed then said, “Good to see that we share our senses of humor.”  
He smiled then continued, “But please do make it back. Be the one who survives destroying a Primordial.”  
I nodded and if I was being honest, it felt nice to have someone appreciate and care for me like that.

Then I walked back to Nico as Hades left to fix the damage that had been caused.  
Everyone was laughing and having a good time, just sitting and having a moment to fix our problems.  
“Hey Neeks. Could I get a minute.” I pulled Nico aside and he must’ve seen the concern and fear on my face because the first thing he did, was ask me if I was feeling well.  
I nodded, “I’m feeling fine but I think I’ve figured the prophecy out.” The next few minutes, were spent explaining my plan.  
“No.” Those were the first words that escaped Nico’s mouth. “Abdur. No. I ca..can’t lose you too, please. There must be another way.”  
I tried to explain it to him slowly, “Neeks, I love you but this is the only way. If I don’t do this, well you know the implications.”  
“Abdur, please, I don’t want to lose another sibling. I don’t want to lose someone close again.” Nico’s voice was cracking.  
Just as I was about to say something, a scream emanated from where our friends were sitting.  
Nico and I, took our swords out at the same time. The glow as powerful as ever.  
We both lost the emotions of what we were talking about, even though they were still lingering about.  
“We can discuss this later, after we see what’s want wrong.” I told Nico, knowing he’d agree.  
He nodded with a look of helplessness on his face before it dissolved and we ran towards our friends.


	18. Abdur

We ran right back to where our friends were, with our swords drawn. We saw our friends in a defensive semi-circle, surrounding someone.  
There was a sickly sweet smell lingering in the air. It was so good to the point where I was paralyzed for a minute.  
Nico and I pushed ourselves to the front and we were met with a very grisly sight.  
Annabeth was being held up by a woman that had the bottom half of a spider with long dark hair.  
In place of her eyes, there were hollow sockets filled with hatred and enmity. She had very sharp claws.  
Her needle-like teeth were sharp enough to penetrate through armor, a green liquid dripped from her mouth.  
There was spider silk covered in her body and her talons. There were many smaller spiders surrounding her.  
One look at her, and I had recognized who it was. Arachne. The mother of all Spiders.  
She had Annabeth in her hands while her eight monstrous legs worked on creating something behind her.  
Percy growled at the spider, “Let. Annabeth. Go.” He only got a very thin smile back from Arachne.

“Oh, don’t worry Perseus Jackson. I’ll make sure this Daughter of Athena, reaps what she has sown.” Arachne laughed at all of us.  
Annabeth was about to say something but Arachne kept her hand over her, and sounds of struggle escaped through her covered mouth.  
Will kept his bow pointed at Arachne but questioningly asked, “Could I get some details please. Who is this?”  
Leo answered, “It’s the stupid spider lady. Arachne or someone. Annabeth outsmarted her.”  
“That is it. I shall not be disrespected like this.” Arachne sneered at us. “For I am Arachne. Mother of all Spiders. Athena’s Nemesis. The Best Mortal Weaver. I am better than Athena.”  
Annabeth started struggling even more in the hands of Arachne, who in reply, threatened to bite Athena’s daughter.  
“Arachne, what do you want? Why are you doing this.” Frank tried to reason with her.  
The spider smiled at each and every one of us, “The heroes are finally being smart about this.”  
“No. You will release her and leave all of us.” Piper spoke with a lot of charm speak.  
It was so powerful that when it rolled over me, a sudden urge came over me to obey her demands.  
Arachne scowled at Piper, “Do you really think that your petty Charm Speak will affect me?”  
Well that was a plan that failed so we returned to trying to negotiate with Arachne.

“Now if Abdur comes forward then we can have him exchanged with Annabeth. Nonetheless one of them will have to fall into Tartarus. While I would prefer Athena’s daughter. Master Tartarus has his own reasons.” Arachne gave out her demands.  
Right when I was about to come forward and take Annabeth’s place, a long sharp rock came out of the ground from under Arachne.  
It almost impaled her but she must’ve been thinking a few steps ahead because she was making something to cushion her body form the damage of the rock.  
“Do you really think that I would not be prepared for any of you. This is the limit, now I will take Annabeth into Tartarus.” Arachne warned us as she started walking backwards.  
We continued to follow her and she hissed, “Stay back or else.” She moved her mouth over Annabeth’s head.  
That caused her to struggle even more as she must’ve been smelling the poison and the sickly sweet smell of Arachne.  
“Ok fine I surrender. Take me instead of Annabeth. Tartarus will reward you even more.” I gave into Arachne’s demands.  
She smiled at me, “Thank you for taking the smart choice. Now I would like you to swear on the River Styx to not go back on your words.”  
I knew how serious a swear on the River Styx was so I would have to be certain about this. And I was.  
“I swear on the River Styx to follow your demands and not go back on them.” Loud thunder boomed signifying the promise.  
The Spider smiled and then laughed, “But unfortunately, now I don’t have any use for this.”   
Arachne threw Annabeth, a few feet through the air and she crashed against a giant rock.

Annabeth hit the rock with a large thud and she fell down and started groaning as blood started flowing out of her mouth and stained her orange Camp Half-Blood shirt.  
“ANNABETH.” Percy and Piper screamed at the same time and rushed to her.  
Frank turned into a lion and roared. Calypso had a menacing look on her face, “You will pay for that Arachne.”  
“No I will not. If none of you boneheads remember that a swear on the River Styx has occurred, and trust me Styx will give you a fate worse than Tartarus.” Arachne warned and reminded us at the same time.  
Begrudgingly, I walked over to Arachne who snatched me up and covered my mouth with her hand.  
Instantly, I was overwhelmed with the smell that was emanating from her. It was like an entire bakery full of pastries left to go bad for a month.  
Arachne began to run with my friends in hot pursuit, they knew that they were stuck at a crossroad but they didn’t want to let me out of their sight.  
I noticed only Nico, Will, Hazel and Frank were following. The others must’ve stayed behind to help Annabeth.  
And I do not blame them. I mean they had barely known me for a few weeks. They wouldn’t just leave Annabeth who was hurt to come to my rescue.

Soon, Arachne, who was still carrying me, was standing in front of a pit that had a strong pull to it.  
I could feel the hatred and agony, that was coming out of the pit. There was darkness down there, as far as I could see.  
For some reason, I could feel it reaching out to me. ‘Jump in here.’ ‘Give up.’ ‘Everyone hates you.’ ‘Your a child of Hades, only he and his children can accept you.’  
But the last one was definitely the one that caused the most pain for me. A vision started playing in my mind.  
I had returned home after the summer was over at camp but every day so many monsters attacked that my family disowned me.  
Somehow, I knew that if I survived, that would be the reality of what would happen.  
I had realized that when I was claimed, only my friends stood up for me. Nico was the only one who had really cared for me through all this.  
I could hear the murmurs, “Child of Big Three. Hades. Death. Stay away. Another Death Boy.”  
But I was brought back to reality when Arachne screamed at me, “Are you still alive?”  
I had given up looking for an escape. I knew that sooner or later someone would have to jump in there and fight Tartarus.  
And I would rather it be me than anyone else so I decided to make a deal with the devil.

“Arachne, let’s make a deal.” I offered to the spider as my friends looked on in shock.  
She smiled, showing her pointed teeth, covered in poison, “I am listening half-blood.”  
“I’ll swear on the River Styx to willingly jump into the Pit, if you can swear on the River Styx for Tartarus’ armies to stop attacking the Underworld and my friends.”   
I was hoping that my deal would seem good enough for Arachne to go for it. If anything, I might just stop or slow down the invasion so we could have more time to get prepared.  
However, Arachne did not take the bait, “You are in my clutches and in no position to make demands.”  
Suddenly, a lot of ghosts started surrounding us and skeletal hands started pushing up from the ground.  
Arachne hissed, “We had a deal. You swore on the River Styx. Child of Hades, don’t go back on it.”  
“I am not. I didn’t summon them, I wouldn’t need them to kill you.” I swiftly retorted.

She put her hand over my mouth again to shut me up and then used her other hand to try to swipe the ghosts away.  
Arachne did get a few of spirts, which made me very mad. I got my mouth free and scolded her, “Respect the Dead. They didn’t do anything to you and are better than you.”  
I might’ve got on her last nerve because she ignored everything around her and looked at me with pure hatred then at my friends.  
“Say your last words, Champion of Hades. Because this will definitely be the last time you speak to any other half-blood or mortal.”  
I believed Arachne and decided to do as she had instructed. If this was to be the last time, I see Nico or any of my friends, I wanted to leave with them knowing that they were the best.

“Frank, I’ve only known you for a little while, but I’ve known you for long enough to know that you’re a great person. Take good care of Hazel.”  
I’d decided to thank everyone individually. Frank started to say “No. Abdur don’t do it.”  
But I still continued, “Hazel your the sister that I wish I had. Thank you for staying with me and supporting me. Make sure that Camp Jupiter stays strong and doesn’t fight with camp Half-Blood.”  
Hazel had a determined look on her face and with her sword, she stepped forward but was stopped by Arachne.  
“One more step from you Hazel, and he goes down without any more words.”   
She stepped back and growled at Arachne, but I could see tears forming in her eyes.  
“Solace, you’re not half bad. You know I like and respect you. Take care of Neeks. And trust me, if you hurt him. I will crawl through the depths of Tartarus just to hurt you.”  
Tears started forming in his and Nico’s eyes as well. Will laughed to try to lighten the situation.  
“Trust me, I will never hurt Nico. I’m sorry if I ever made you mad or did something wrong. You’re a good person Abdur.”  
Before I said anything to Nico, I asked them to tell the others that they were great friends as well.  
“Nico. I love you. Your the best sibling I ever had. I’m sorry if I ever did something wrong. But whatever happens after this. Promise me, that you won’t be angry with me.”  
I took a moment to breathe before continuing, “We all have our demons, including me. But it’s also up to us to control them.”  
He had an anguished look on his face, with some tears flowing on the side. “Abdur, please, we can find another way to do this.”  
I just slowly shook my head as my voice choked a little, “I love you Neeks. Please, take care of yourself.”

Arachne just laughed as I was done talking, “I always enjoy it when there are emotions in play. Despair, Child of Hades. You are nothing but an outcast.”  
Right when I was about to say something, Arachne threw me down the Pit into the darkness.  
The last thing I heard was screaming before I saw Arachne jump into Tartarus as well. 

  
Chapter 18

Abdur

  
I remembered reading that it takes nine days to fall from Hades’ realm to Tartarus.  
But I only had three or two days left before the Summer Solstice so I decided to try something different.  
I tried to shadow travel. I was in complete darkness and tried to use the shadows around me, like a shortcut, to reach the bottom of the Pit.  
Well it did work but when I reached the bottom, it was totally different from what I had expected it to be.  
If I have to describe it to you. Imagine the worst place possible, now multiply the pain there by ten.  
The aforementioned place now has acid air and the ground has broken glass everywhere.  
It also has a grayish atmosphere and the clouds are blood red with lighting and thunder to accompany them.  
The ceiling was so high that I couldn’t even see the top from where I had fallen.  
I don’t know how I had completed a nine day journey in a very short time using shadow travel.

I stood on a raised platform that overlooked a valley that rose into a plateau. In normal circumstances, I would’ve loved to seen nature like this.  
But unfortunately, instead of grass, the ground was volcanic rock and broken glass.  
There were multiple pointed mountains as far as I could see but the volcanic chasms looked even more dangerous.  
On the plateau, there were a few long, thin, black trees (like insect hair) growing.  
I also noticed monsters escaping from blisters inside the ground. That must’ve been how they reformed.  
Even though, I had only been in there for a minute, I started suffocating and my skin started blistering.  
I could feel this place, ripping apart at my sanity. Maybe that was Tartarus’ plan.  
He would give us fake hope that if we entered Tartarus, we could survive for long enough to stop him but instead we would die off.  
Well, if it was the plan from the Primordial then I was glad that I choose to go alone and none of my friends were put to risk.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of that right now. I had to find the River Phlegethon.  
I saw a river but it wasn’t what I expected the River of Fire to be, it was down in the valley where there was an entrance to a huge cavern.  
The cavern’s entrance was so vast, I could fit a hundred trucks through the entrance and it would still seem small.  
There was a very wide river flowing out of it and the red clouds hung around the entrance of the cave, like vaporized blood.   
The landscape around the cave was rocky black plains, punctuated by jagged mountains and fiery chasms.   
I decided to go and take a closer look so I started carefully making my way down the hill.  
Every so often, I would get the feeling that I was being hunted or followed but when I looked around, I would not see anything out of the ordinary.

Finally, I made it to the edge of the cavern, my body in serious pain, blisters all over my body, and air barely entering my lungs.  
The little amount that did enter, was burning my lungs because of its acidic properties.  
The river’s starting pool, was a ribbon of glittering, black liquid with a smell of sulfur.  
I looked into the cavern and I could barely see it’s exit towards the end of the cavern which was a speck from where I stood.  
The oddest part about the was definitely the temperature around the river. The whole of Tartarus was boiling and very hot.  
The ground around the river was frosted, and I could feel it’s freezing cold influence even five feet away from the river.  
There was a faint whisper coming from the direction of the river, I was too far to completely hear it.  
The river seemed to have a mind of it’s own because the part closest to me kept lashing towards me.  
I decided to take a risk and walk towards the river then maybe I could hear what it was saying.  
Hopefully, it would give me a lead on how I could defeat Tartarus, even if I could.

“Time to meet your fate.” Those were the last words I heard before I was pushed into the river.  
Instantly, I was submerged in the river and it seemed to fight me as if it wanted to keep me inside.  
Suddenly, my mind was filled with millions of heartbroken voices, as if the river itself were made of distilled sadness.  
‘Just die.’ ‘Give up. There is no point of fighting us.’ ‘Stay here. Become a voice drenched with misery.’  
My sanity started crumbling at this point, maybe Tartarus knew that I would fail.  
I got my head above the water, just for a minute and I saw the monster that had pushed me inside.  
At first, I had thought it was a very beautiful mortal or half blood but that didn’t make any sense to me.  
I closed and opened my eyes again, this time seeing through the mist. In place of what I had thought was a very beautiful girl with blonde hair, was actually an Empousa.  
I was beginning to really hate the Empousa’s. They were there in the most inopportune times.  
“The River Cocytus. The River of Lamentation. Personally, not my favorite river of the Underworld. The Acheron takes that place.” The Empousa informed me.  
I didn’t want to open my mouth because that would’ve allowed the water entry to my mouth and who knows what that would’ve done.  
Each second in the water was even worse than the last. The voice’s continued tearing away at me.

The Empousa continued laughing, “I admire you but why do you keep fighting. You cannot escape the Cocytus.”  
The voices themselves were getting louder and I could barely hear what the Empousa was saying.  
To make everything worse, I was starting to shiver because of the water’s freezing temperatures.  
Suddenly, a voice in my head became louder than the screams of misery from the Cocytus.  
It was Nico, “Get out of there Abdur. Anchor yourself to the world, remember me.”  
I closed my eyes and another familiar voice sounded in my head. My patron. Hades.  
“Don’t drown. Get back up. You’re stronger than this.” His voice was stern but caring.  
I tried to follow their advice, and I felt my self back in control as I floated to the top of the Cacytus.  
The Empousa looked at me in shock, “Impossible. No one can survive for that long. You’re a child of Hades. You are disgusting. Just die.”  
I then felt my body being pulled to the shore of the Cocytus. But I don’t think the River appreciated that.

The water started thrashing me around and trying to pull me under as if the River was getting angrier.  
The tug on my back got stronger, and I forced myself to act against the Cocytus.  
After a minute of struggle with the River of Lamentation, I found my self on the shore of the Cocytus.  
I gasped for air even though it was very acidic to my lungs. The Empousa walked over to me.  
She tried to seduce me by showing how her form covered in the mist looked. She had blond hair and icy blue eyes.  
“Why don’t you come here and give me a kiss.” I wasn’t going to be so easily dazed or seduced like that.  
I pretended to have fallen under her spell. I pushed my self and came closer to her as she smiled.  
If she wasn’t an Empousa, I would’ve said that she looked amazing but I had seen her for who she was.  
A monster with red eyes, fangs, and flaming hair. One of her legs was a donkey leg and the other was bronze.  
I got close enough to point my sword at her, “Now we are going to be doing things on my terms, is that clear monster.”  
She hissed at me, “My name is Tammi and I would prefer you to call me by it. Also take that Stygian Iron sword away from me. I don’t like the material, it’s not good for my health.”  
“Well Tammi. If you don’t listen to me than the next place you’ll find yourself is in here.” I raised my sword to emphasize my point.

She smiled at me, “Now you wouldn’t do that to me, will you? Why don’t you just let me go for a kiss.”  
I detected the Charm Speak, that she was trying to use but it had no effect on me because I had heard even stronger Charm Speak from Piper.  
“Tammi, Do you really that you will Charm Speak to me like that and I will fall for it?”   
She scowled as she realized her plan wasn’t working, “Actually yes, most Half-Bloods are dumb. I wasn’t expecting much from a child of Hades.”  
“That’s it.” I thought to myself as I summoned three skeletons with weapons to stand behind her.  
She gave me a look of hatred before I sneered at her, “Do you have anything to say to Hades or his children now?”  
“Yes, thank you for proving how dumb they are.” She was trying to induce a false move from me.  
I sighed, knowing I wouldn’t get anywhere besides fainting from the pain, if I wasted my time talking.  
“Just tell me where the River Phlegethon is and I will leave you to live.” I offered to Tammi.  
She just frowned, “Now what’s the fun in that? It would be way better if we fight and I kill you.”  
I knew that I would not have too much time left so I asked again, “I am asking you one last time.”

She sighed, “I don’t care. What can you even do to me. At least, when the son of Poseidon killed me, he was strong and had good powers.”  
“Wait, you’ve met Percy? Thot means he must’ve killed you before.” I tried to use her strategy against her.  
She growled at me, “Yes and he was a hundred times better half-blood than you. I mean what will you do. Get controlled by Shadows?”  
For some reason, that made me irrationally mad, “I am Abdur, the son of Hades. I control the shadows. They do not control me.”  
I felt my self get stronger as the Skeletons that were standing behind Tammi, started cowering.  
Tammi also had the same reaction as the Skeletons. She started cowering and fell on the floor.  
“Ok. Ok. I’ll tell you. But please stop doing that.” I didn’t know what I was doing but I was ready to take advantage of her fear.  
“You have to walk to the right from here. In a minute, you will be near the River Phlegethon. I swear it on the River Styx.”  
I smiled at my luck, “Thank you Tammi but unfortunately I’m done using you.”  
She looked in shock as I plunged my sword through her and the dust that she left behind was sucked up by my weapon of choice.

“You guys are free to leave and do whatever you want. Thank you for helping me.” I told the skeletons as they bowed to me and left.  
I followed the Empousa’s instructions, hoping that she didn’t lie on the River Styx.  
Fortunately for me, she did not. After walking for a few minutes, I walked up to the river of fire.  
It was flowing from many different streams that came off a waterfall and collected up then continued flowing to Gods know where.  
I walked up to the river bank and cupped my hands then put it into the fire river.  
It felt cold to the touch, I had heard that when something is too hot, it feels cold.  
Now with personal experience, I can confirm that claim as the truth. I pulled my hands out filled with the orange liquid, still on fire.  
I drank the liquid. My body started to shake and convulse while I also gagged.  
My blisters started to fade, the fever that was building up, subsided. The taste was very distinct. Spicy, yet disgusting.

I got up and looked around, half hoping to see any one else here. This place was designed for pain. It made the Fields of Punishment look like Elysium in comparison.  
I decided to continue walking along the Phlegethon, even though I had no idea, what I was supposed to be looking for.  
I mean where was I supposed to find Tartarus. He wouldn’t just show himself to me.  
Nonetheless, I had to stay focused and continue on ahead, occasionally taking a mouthful from the Phlegethon.  
After walking for a few minutes, I noticed a tall and fit person walking towards me. The person or monster was far enough so it couldn’t notice me from there.  
But I wasn’t going to take a risk by trying to attack him especially because the energy that was coming from him was identical to the Titan I fought.  
If I was being honest, the Titans all had an identical aura to the Olympians, but the Titans strength was more raw, ancient and not refined.

I didn’t feel like fighting another Titan, especially on what was practically their home ground.  
I couldn’t even defeat Hyperion in the Underworld, where I was strongest. Hades had to help me.  
And now I was in the deepest abyss of Hades’ Kingdom. A place feared by everyone.  
I used the shadows to solidify around me, and then I hoped, that would be enough for me to stay hidden.  
He continued walking towards me and I decided to stop for a minute and take a break from walking.  
The presumed Titan absentmindedly continued walking, staring straight up before he sat down a few feet away from me.  
I was afraid that I had been spotted, but he showed no inclination of that so I didn’t panic.

He wore elaborate black armor with a single diamond blazing on the middle of his chest-plate.  
His eyes were blue-white and as cold as a glacier. His hair and beard were the same color as his eye, with his hair cut in military style.  
The helmet he wore, was shaped like a bear's head, his cold eyes were accentuated by it.  
He wielded a massive sword the size of a surfboard, which radiated "more cold than the Siachen Glacier".  
His face, even though marked by a number of battle scars, was quite handsome.  
The area on which he walked and sat, frosted up. The air around me become instantly colder as he sat then he dipped his feet into the River Phlegethon.  
He spoke with eloquence, “I am the Titan Lord of the North. The Titan of Foresight, yet I don’t get treated with the respect I deserve.”  
I didn’t know if he was speaking to me so I decided to be quiet and let him continue.  
“Tartarus choose Hyperion and Krios. I would’ve done a better job than both of them combined.”

I think that him talking to himself, got him very riled up because he stood up and roared then put his sword into the ground angrily.  
The black gravel turned to ice and snow but as soon as he took his sword from the ground, it returned to normal.  
He sighed and sat down, “Kronos told me that he would repay me duly, if I supported him in the battle. Then he failed while I tried to help Iapetus take down Hades. Only to find him betraying us.”  
It was confusing, just hiding there in fear, listening on to the Titan blabber on.  
“I deserve way more respect than I get. Also stop trying to hide, Child of Hades. I am Koios, the Titan of Foresight.”  
My heart leapt out of my chest. I didn’t know if I should’ve stepped forward or tried to run away.  
Koios made my decision for me, “I would like to thank you for killing Hyperion, he was so vain. But unfortunately you still destroyed a brother of mine.”  
He stood up and took his sword in his right hand, and with his left took a handful of liquid from the Phlegethon and threw it in my direction.  
I barely leaped out of the way as the liquid burned a hole through the ground on where I was standing.  
“Hades has made several mistakes. Angering Tartarus. Making Iapetus work for him. And you’re going to pay for all of them.”

I decided it was pointless trying to hide from Koios, especially trying to use shadows.  
I stepped out of the darkness, the shadows that were once hiding me, stopped doing their purpose.  
“So I assume, that you would want to kill me? Seems like everyone is looking forward to doing that.” I asked Koios.  
He shook his head, “Why are you heroes so predictable? Why do you keep serving the Olympians.”   
“Why are all of you bad guys so predictable? Every time I get the same question. Why do I keep serving the Olympians.” I sighed as Koios gave me a dirty look.  
He laughed at me, “The Titans are stronger and the superior race to the Olympians and the Giants.”  
I decided to mock him, “And that is exactly why your Lord Kronos failed against us.”  
He growled at me, “Kronos did not have his body to fight with. Our greatest fighter Atlas wasn’t freed.”  
“If you believe that the Titans are superior to everyone else then why do you support Tartarus?”  
He looked at me with genuine concern, “Unfortunately, being the Titan of Foresight means that I can see the things that I don’t want to see and it includes knowing that I cannot win against Tartarus.”  
That confused me so I asked him, “What do you mean that you cannot beat Tartarus?”  
Koios laughed at me, “Do you really think that you can beat the Abyss in his domain.”  
“Yes, or at least that is what I was hoping for.” I informed Koios, only to receive laughters from him.

He stopped laughing when he noticed that I was not laughing along with him.  
“So you really are serious about trying to defeat Tartarus, aren’t you? Well unfortunately you will have to get through me first.”  
I took my sword out and asked him, “Can we not try to do this in a non-confrontational way?”  
He raised his sword and laughed, “Well you aren’t someone I should be afraid of like Perseus Jackson.”  
“Can’t believe that you were the Earth Mother’s favorites. Good thing that she was taken care of.” I mocked him and he looked at me with pure hatred.  
The Titan simply said, “Child of Hades, you will need more than that Stygian Iron Sword.”  
Those were the last words from Koios before he charged at me with his sword drawn.  
I ran at him and we both met in the middle with our swords clashing against each other.

“You cannot defeat me so why do you even try?” Koios asked me as he raised his sword and almost brought it down on me.  
I replied with a lot of sarcasm, “Well Hyperion said the same thing and I think Krios also replied similarly.”  
“Gah. You had Hades on your side. It was an unfair battle.” Koios tried to justify himself.  
I use the ice that he was generating to my advantage and slid from beneath him towards his back and brought my sword down.  
Luckily for the Titan, he was able to stop me from stabbing him. However, his sword got chipped in the process.   
“Wait so you’re telling me the most powerful Titan currently alive, can’t handle a demigod and an Olympian?” I mocked Koios.  
That infuriated him even more as he tried to kick me away but I had learned from my previous battle.  
I brought my sword down into his foot as he let out a scream of pure agony that hurt my ears.  
“Like I said, how were you and Iapetus planning to take down Hades when you can’t even defeat me. I thought you were supposed to be a good swordsman.”  
Koios stepped back as golden blood flowed out of his wound. It was Ichor, the golden blood of the Immortals.

The area around me for colder as ice settled over his wound, and when it left, the wound was completely healed.  
“What. I thought you were the Titan of Foresight. Since when do you control the winter?” I asked him.  
He growled at me, “Are all Children of Hades, this dumb? Or are you an exception.”  
That comment got on my nerves, “I’m a child of Hades, that means I am also a child of the Underworld.”  
“Yes I know that. Do you re-“ Koios started speaking before he was interrupted by me.  
“Koios, you know what you’re biggest mistake is. You tried to mess with Hades, and that means that you’ve tried to pick a fight with me.” I warned him as he just laughed.  
He continued laughing obnoxiously, “Do you think I’m afraid of you. Nico and you are both outcasts, just like Hades.”  
I shadow travelled behind him and slashed at his leg, he roared as the Ichor flowed.  
He tried to swat at me with his sword but I was too quick, as I shadow traveled again, this time in front of him and stabbed his midriff with my sword.

It was extremely tiring, constantly shadow traveling and hitting the Titan but it was working.  
Koios kept wildling slashing while I was contained in my attacks, he got frustrated with each attack on him.  
“Stop it. What are you doing? Fight fairly.” Koios roared because he was extremely frustrated.  
I didn’t listen to his advice and continued attacking him, he was bleeding from a lot of places.  
It was getting frustrating and extremely tiring, no matter how much I attacked, he did not fall.  
The skeletons and ghosts were also getting smashed and destroyed by Koios.  
“Stop summoning the stupid dead. They are useless just like you.” Koios roared at me as he put his sword through a ghost.  
That angered me for some reason, “Respect the Dead, Koios. Actually, why don’t you join them.”  
He parried my attack as I decided to stop shadow-traveling for a minute, because if I continued then I would be drained and easily defeated by Koios.

“Do you really believe that you can defeat me, that too in Tartarus?” Koios asked me.  
I answered him while panting, “Well I didn’t really plan on meeting you. But I think I can.”  
“Do you really appreciate death so much, Ghost King.” Koios asked me. “If so, I can make sure you have a taste of it.”  
I mockingly laughed at him, “Unfortunately for you, it’s my job to make sure, that you face death.”  
This time even more skeletons lunged out of the ground, each one dying as soon as they laid a scratch on Koios.  
“Necromancy looks like a cool power, but in reality, Hades and his children have proven its worthlessness.” Koios spoke as he smashed a few skeletons to the ground.  
That infuriated me and I started summoning even more skeletons. Numbers in the hundred came out of the ground, at my command.  
I rushed with the skeletons, hoping that Koios would be distracted by the skeletons for long enough, and my plan worked successfully.  
As he tried to defend himself from the skeletons, I blended in with them and when I got close enough, I drove my sword into Koios.   
He looked at me, with an expression that read absolute shock, “You hit me with a Stygian Iron Sword?”  
I didn’t give any reply, I just plunged my sword into his stomach again. Ichor started flowing out of the wound but his body also started turning into dust from some spots.

I sat down, panting for air as Koios slowly dissolved into dust and nothing more.  
“I will have my revenge. The Titans shall rise once more. The Golden Age shall be ours.” The Titans last words were a warning to me.  
After he was finally destroyed, I took a big gulp from the Phelegethon. It completely healed me of my injuries.  
But I was still confused. Where would I go. What would I have to do next. How much more pain.  
I didn’t have much time to ponder on those thoughts because I noticed a group of Giants walking towards me.  
I continued following the Phelegethon, hoping it would lead me to my final destination.  
After walking for a few minutes, I noticed another river that was flowing to the right of the Phlegethon.  
It was the Cocytus. I was getting close to the Delta of Despair. The meeting point of the five rivers of the Underworld.  
The delta where Black Hellfire originates from. The purest thoughts of hatred joining together to form the most dangerous and evil liquid.

I finally reached the Delta of Despair and what I saw made me extremely dizzy.  
In chains, was a huge giant. And when I say huge, it is definitely an understatement.   
I had to look straight up and I could barely see his head. He was big enough to use the Empire State Building as a Baseball bat.  
His whole upper body was surrounded by storm clouds. His face was even more shadowy than the rest of his body.  
From the waist up, the giant was more or less humanoid but his legs, which were chained, were like the bodies of Boa Constrictors.  
I looked up to see it had a hundred fingers tipped with red-eyed serpent heads.  
All around the Giant’s body were golden chains covering it up, restricting the movement it could make.  
On its back were massive leathery wings that tried to flap every once in a while.  
The area around him smelled like Volcanic smoke. My mind was hurting due to the dual effects of looking at the Giant and being in Tartarus.

“That’s Typhon or Typhoeus. Quite impressive isn’t he?” A voice that sounded like that of a female spoke from behind me.  
Instinctually, I took out my sword and pointed it at the person or monster behind me.  
It was a mortal in Tartarus. That had me very confused. She had curly brown hair with dark brown eyes.  
“Who are you and how are you in Tartarus?” I asked the first thing that came on my mind.  
She looked at me as if I said something wrong, “What do you mean? I’m an Empousa. I’m supposed to be here.”  
That made a lot of sense to me but I sighed at the thought of another Empousa that I would have to fight.  
“Oh, I’m not in my true form. This is my mortal form.” She informed me as she burst into flames.  
In her true form, she had completely white skin, flaming hair, fangs, one bronze leg and one donkey leg, with red eyes.  
“This might be the form, that you heroes are accustomed to.” She stated a fact then asked me, “Is that a Stygian Iron Sword?”  
She gulped as I nodded. Even when she said her last phrase, I could hear the hesitation and fear in her voice.

“I’m Serephone. And judging by your weapon of choice, you’re a child of the Underworld. Thanatos?” She asked me, about my godly parent.  
I was still suspicious but I replied, “Hades. I’m his champion. He’s my patron or godly parent, if you will.”  
She looked even more scared, “Another Child of the Elder Gods. Is it true that The Dark Lady is supporting the Olympians?”  
“The Dark Lady?” I asked very confused on who this was. “I’m sorry but who is that?”  
Serephone had a look of disgust plastered on her face, “You do not know her. Hecate. The Dark Lady.”  
“Oh yes Hecate. Along with the rest of the Minor Gods, she is working in coordination with the Olympians.” I informed Serephone and a faint smile appeared on her face.  
She sighed in relief, “Great because that means I wouldn’t have to face a certain demise against you.”  
My concerns were eased but I was still keeping a keen eye out for any trouble.  
“Why are you here? The last Half-Bloods I recall in Tartarus was a Son of Poseidon and Child of Athena. You wouldn’t happen to know them, would you?” The Empousa asked me.

She must’ve been taking about Percy and Annabeth but with the hesitation that she spoke with, I was a little suspicious.  
I wasn’t really trusting of he but she might’ve had some information that could’ve been crucial to me.  
But just when I was about to answer her question, Serephone was interrupted by someone else.  
“What are you doing, foolish Empousa.” The person walked into view of us and Serephone, had a look of pure fear plastered on her face.  
A ghost walked into view. Her left side was black and hardened like a mummy, while her right side was pale and chalky as if she were drained of all her blood.  
She was very frightening, I looked at her face and the contrasting between her two sides was even more pronounced due to her eyes being empty black voids.  
“Either you join my cause or I kill you.” The woman that looked like a ghost warned Serephone.  
There were two shadowy dogs following right behind her. They looked like German Shepherd with pure black, shadowy coats.  
The ghost was also carrying a torch in her left hand. Her clothes were unlike her.  
They were royal unlike her whole body. She wore a golden dress with a golden shawl, accompanying it.

She was so concentrated on Serephone, that she did not even notice me standing a few meters away from the Empousa.  
Serephone respectfully bowed to the Ghost Lady as her dogs started sniffing the Empousa.  
I wanted to cover my self with shadows, so atleast I would’ve been invisible to the Ghost but unfortunately, the Delta of Despair did not produce any shadows.  
“Milady, I have sided with Hecate. And since, she is supporting the Olympians. I will also do so.” Serephone barely stuttered out.  
I didn’t understand, why she was so afraid of the Ghost. I mean I could’ve forced her to be gone.  
But I also felt an aura to the ghost. She didn’t feel like any other spirit. I didn’t know, whether I would have the power to banish her.  
The ghost had a blank look on her face and she coldly replied to the Empousa.  
“Tartarus has asked for no mercy from my side. And I do agree with him. If I am to take control of the Underworld then I need to be unforgiving.” She started explaining to Serephone who looked extremely scared.  
The ghost sighed before continuing to speak, “So I’ll give you one chance. If you have any valuable information then present it to me. If it is good then I might as well leave you to live.”

Serephone broke down, “Milady Melinoe, please have mercy on me. I shall give you any information that you require.”  
The ghost smirked at that, “That is great. Tartarus might even make you a minor leader of the Underworld. But of course, you shall serve under me.”  
“Yes. Of course I shall.” Serephone cried as she started to explain. “Well you see, there is someone else among us.”  
That caught Melinoe by surprise, while I got super angry at the betrayal from Serephone.  
So much for serving The Dark Lady. All it took was a little fear and she switched sides.  
For some reason, Melinoe couldn’t see me or was pretending as if she couldn’t.  
“Where is it? Who is it?” She hissed at Serephone who started to look around to no avail.  
The Empousa also looked towards me but she couldn’t see me for some reason.  
“He was right here.” She stuttered out in reply. Melinoe was getting impatient and her dogs must’ve sensed that.  
I looked at myself and my figure was very shadowy. I didn’t do it but I was grateful for it.  
Her dogs perked up and picked a scent in the air. In a moment’s notice, they rushed towards me and one of them jumped right up on me.  
I felt the shadows surrounding me retreat, as Melinoe widely smiled at me and called off her dogs as she approached me.

Suddenly, her form started changing into different people. All of them were my relatives that had passed away.  
Each form was only there for a few seconds until Melinoe returned to how she looked originally.  
She looked flustered and growled, “Everyone has ghosts, deaths that you regret.” She smiled thinly then suggested. “And if you don’t have any. There s always time to make some.”  
Her form switched to Nico’s. It was so alike, to the point that if we she had come to me and claimed to be Neeks, I would’ve believed her.  
“Who do you care for?” She mocked me. “Die Half-Blood. Do you not know who I am?”  
I didn’t know her so I asked, “No. Who are you? Just a useless ghost. I’ve faced Minos and defeated him.”  
She looked at me as if I had just made the stupidest remark. Serephone had a look of anguish on her face.  
“I am Melinoe. Daughter of Persephone and Hades. The Goddess of Ghosts. Minos is nothing in front of me. Neither are you.”   
That made sense. I would have to fight against an immortal. And that to, one of the Underworld Gods.  
“Shouldn’t you be working for Hades then?” I asked Melinoe, hoping that this was just a misunderstanding.  
She started laughing at me, “Why would I work with someone, who doesn’t even allow me to do what I want.”  
I took out my sword and pointed it at her, “I guess it means that I’ll have to stop you.”

She took a special interest in my sword, “A child of the Underworld. Who’s your parent.”   
“I’m the Champion of Hades. And he probably prefers me to you.” I mocked Melinoe.  
She looked at me surprised, “So you’re the Half-Blood that I heard about. Don’t know what Hades see’s in you or Nico. Both of you are completely useless.”  
That made me irrationally angry, “Well then, why don’t you test your theory and we’ll find out who is better.”  
“You’re called the King of Ghosts and Nico is the Ghost King, right. Well I am the Goddess of Ghosts.”   
As she said that, hundreds of ghosts and other spirits emerged from the ground.   
Some of them saw me and retreated. I tried a different strategy. Skeletons that were armed to the teeth, exited the ground via the fissure that I opened up.

Skeletal hands also tried to grab at Melinoe and her shadow dogs. I ordered the skeletons to rush while Melinoe did the same to her assembled soldiers.  
I was attacking at the ghosts that were surrounding me, and my guard was let down for just a minute too long.  
One of Melinoe’s pet dogs had snuck up behind me and leapt at me. I had only a moment’s notice to react.  
Fortunately, I had done well to duck below the dog, who rolled in front of me and growled.  
It jumped at me again, but this time, I was prepared for it so I slashed at the dog when it leaped.  
“Gah. Do you know, how rare those dogs are. I had to do so much to earn those and you destroy it.” Melinoe seethed with anger.  
Her second dog was gnawing at a skeleton that had tried to attack Melinoe, who had armed herself with an axe, that she must’ve got from one of the fallen Skeleton Soldiers.  
“Celestial Bronze Axe. Not really my preferred weapon but I wouldn’t mind you’re death being this ironic.” Melinoe laughed at me while brandishing her axe.

Even though, the battle was still raging around us, however it was as if it didn’t matter as Melinoe slowly trotted over towards me.  
I didn’t know what to expect. Would she be a great fighter or would I be able to defeat her.  
That’s when I remembered that she was also the Goddess of Ghosts. I couldn’t completely destroy her because she was immortal.  
I had to attack her and just hope, that she would’ve run away, for fear of getting destroyed.  
That was another thought in my mind, would she run away or would she get destroyed like The Titans and then have to reform in Tartarus, which was beginning to hurt each part of my body again.  
“Hades will regret having you or Nico. Both of you will serve under me. He will be imprisoned here in Tartarus.” She laughed at me while mocking everyone that I cared about.

I felt anguish, run through me, “Why are you doing this Melinoe? You should be fighting against this.”  
“Fighting against what?” Melinoe asked me with a look of hatred present on her face.  
“The Olympians have given me nothing. I was once feared then reduced to nothing but a myth.”  
She had stopped walking at this point. The collective anger between us was being reflected by the ghosts and skeletons having looks of fear as they fought each other.  
“I will rule the Underworld. Tartarus shall duly reward me and his other Commanders.” She started laughing while warning me.  
Her other dog, must’ve had enough of waiting around, because it barked at Melinoe and ran towards me at supernatural speeds.  
I found myself having only a few seconds to react. And unfortunately they weren’t enough.  
The dog leaped on me and brought me down and started trying to bite my face off.  
He was biting on my sword, which couldn’t have been a pleasant experience for him.

I was afraid of getting bit by the dog, because I didn’t know, if it would have any adverse affect on me.  
However, it was also very easy for me to take advantage of the situation that I was in.  
The Dog yelped as I pushed my sword, which it was trying to bite, through his mouth.  
It durned into dust, as it’s essence was absorbed by my sword. Melinoe shrieked at me with absolute hatred.  
“That is the second shadow dog of mine, that you have killed. And who knows, how much time they will take to reform.”  
She said as she pointed at my sword, which was still glowing ominously, providing much needed lighting for me.  
“Yeah. Well, two down and one more to go.” I pointed my sword at the Goddess of Ghosts.  
She looked at me with anger, “Enough. I will regain respect and control the Underworld.”  
Even more ghosts started flowing out of the ground. And I didn’t feel like I had the strength to summon more skeletons.

“Prove it, Melinoe.” I screamed at her as she looked on in confusion. “Prove that you are worthy of the Underworld.”  
I had her attention once more and I wasn’t going to waste this opportunity to potentially stop her.  
“I’m the Champion of Hades, it is my job to defend his and my family’s honor. If you defeat me in battle, well then I won’t be able to stop you from taking over The Underworld.”  
I offered to Melinoe, who smiled thinly. She must’ve been liking the idea of stopping one of Hades’ children before her main attack.  
“I accept your conditions.” She laughed at me and with a snap of her fingers, all the ghosts that she had summoned, disappeared.  
The skeletons that were fighting, now just looked at me in confusion. I didn’t know, if I could snap them away, but I still tried.  
I raised my fingers for it and all the skeletons just put their hands up, in front of their heads.  
They must’ve been scared so I just sighed and said, “Just go and do whatever you want.”  
With that, all of them ran away. Melinoe angrily replied, “And that is why Children of Hades like you are failures.”  
I didn’t know what she was talking about, but I had enough of Melinoe and her nonsense.  
I had to prove myself, not only to me but to Hades, Nico and the rest of my friends. They were counting on me and I couldn’t let them down.

“He was once feared.” Melinoe mocked me. “But then, he turned to the Olympians.”  
She must’ve been trying to get me angry so I would make a mistake and unfortunately, she was being successful.  
“He will never be accepted. You will never be accepted. Nico will never be accepted. All of you are part of the Underworld. They fear you. They do not want you.”  
She had started circling around me. Throwing her remarks like sharpened knives.  
Unfortunately, I found my self agreeing with her. The campers had looks of disgust, when I was claimed.  
I mean they had barely started to accept Nico, who deserved better than the treatment, he received.  
And I also knew, that there were campers that hated me because I was another Child of Hades.  
I brought death to everyone and anyone that got close to me. I didn’t blame the campers for being afraid of me and trying to stay away.

I noticed Melinoe smiling, “Don’t you agree with me? No one will accept you. You will be an outcast.”  
I tried ignoring her and concentrated by taking a deep breath. Then I thought to myself.  
“Hades, I’m fighting for you. I don’t know if you can hear me but if you can then I’d appreciate some assistance.”   
Maybe it was wishful thinking but I was hoping for a reply. Melinoe kept trying to distract me.  
Hades’ voice ringed in my head, “Make me proud. Defeat Melinoe. You will always be welcome in The Underworld.”  
I didn’t know, if everything that I heard was a hallucination or a reality. I hoped that it was the latter.

“Melinoe, enough. This ends here.” I announced to her. “You’ve disrespected my family too much.”  
She smiled as I pointed my sword at her and started running towards her. She reciprocated the action.  
We met in the middle. My sword crashed against her Celestial Bronze Axe, producing sparks.  
“Let’s see if your Stygian Iron Sword is really as good as you make it out to be.” Melinoe said as she raised her Axe and brought it down.  
I had to crouch down so I could defend myself by raising my sword to block the impact of the Axe.  
The advantage that I had against Melinoe, was that my weapon was completely balanced for me.  
Unlike Melinoe, who was having difficulty, controlling her Axe accurately because it was very heavy.

“Why don’t you find out, Melinoe.” I sarcastically offered to her. “You’ll see what Stygian Iron can do. Especially in the hands of a Child of Hades.”  
I sliced at her hand, as she dropped her Axe and yelped in pain. Ichor started flowing from the wound.  
“Gah. You shall forever regret that. I shall make you suffer.” Melinoe screamed at me.  
I attacked Melinoe again, staying low and bring her down by sweeping her at her feet.  
I put my sword through her leg as she let out an unholy scream of anguish. It sounded like a hundred mortals shrieking.  
I think the Stygian Iron must’ve been burning her because the Ichor that flowed out was bubbling.  
“What do you feel about Stygian Iron now Melinoe.” I asked her, hoping that she would be infuriated.  
She spat at me, “I couldn’t be more impartial.” She stood up again and summoned a ghost.  
Just when I was about to say that she wasn’t allowed to do this. The ghost dropped his sword and went into the ground.  
The sword looked like, it was made out of Imperial Gold, this weapon looked more threatening than the axe.  
“This is better.” Melinoe announced. “Let’s see, how you match up to an equal weapon.”

Admittedly, she fought better with a sword because it wasn’t weighing down on her.  
But even though, I was very inexperienced with a sword, I was doing a better job than her.  
I was blocking her strikes with ease and constantly getting hits in from my sword.  
She screamed in pain, with each attack that I got on her. Melinoe was struggling to keep up.  
“Gah. How are you hitting me like that.” She screamed at me while trying to stab me.  
I replied very sarcastically, “Maybe it’s because, you never actually train or fight. You use ghosts to do your dirty work.”  
She looked at me lopsided, “Yes and the Dead are meant to be used. Not to be respected.”   
That made me irrationally angry, “You don’t deserve to be related to the Underworld. You have no respect.”  
“Yes. And did you expect any. I am greater than any of those useless Ghosts. I control them.” She spoke with a lot of ego.

“And that is exactly, why you will fail.” I screamed at her as I tried to stab her in the arm.  
Unfortunately, she blocked my move perfectly and shot back, “You will never win. Even if you defeat me, I shall reform. Tartarus will keep sending enemies to destroy you.”  
This time, when I slashed at Melinoe’s right arm, which was the mummified part.  
She couldn’t block or stop me from slicing it clean off. The blood of the Immortals started flooding out of the open wound.  
The blood boiled and bubbled as it flowed, some of the Ichor even turned darker in color.  
She shrieked in reply and tried to rapidly hit me with her sword. Somehow the tides were turned in less than a minute.  
I was barely blocking her strikes from hitting me, it was as if she was a minute faster than me.  
When I finally struck her sword, a small fragment from the top, got chipped off.   
“Do you not understand? I was having mercy on you. Half Bloods are nothing in front of me.” She started mocking me.  
“I defeated Koios, The Titan of the North, The Titan of Foresight. You are nothing in front of him.” I announced to Melinoe.

She started laughing at me when I coughed. I remembered that I did not have a drink from the Phelegethon for a while.  
“You came here to defeat my Master. What were you thinking? This is not a place for Gods or Mortals.”  
Melinoe knew that she had all the time that she needed, because she wouldn’t be affected by Tartarus.  
“If I don’t kill you, then you will perish to the affect that Tartarus, will have on you.”  
I knew that was true but I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. I charged at Melinoe, was was caught by surprise.  
My sword hit Melinoe’s with so much force, that purple and bronze colored sparks flew off from the impact point.  
Another thing that I had noticed was that with each strike, her sword kept taking damage but my sword faced no dents or noticeable damage.  
It was almost as if Stygian Iron as a material was almost indestructible. Even though it was very rare, the upside was its durability.  
“When I kill you, I will make sure that sword of yours is put to good use. I mean it’s not everyday, that you see a Stygian Iron weapon.” Melinoe tried to get in my head with her remarks.

“Melinoe, how long do you think, it will take you to reform, if I destroy you with a Stygian Iron Sword?” I asked her.  
That must’ve set her off because for just a second, she got distracted and lost her train of thought.  
I used this distraction to my advantage, and hit Melinoe in the middle of her chest.  
Instantly, she fell down, writhing in agony and pain, I tried to finish Melinoe by stabbing her repeatedly with my sword.  
“Guess you will find out.” I told Melinoe, who had a very distant look on her face.  
“You haven’t seen the end of me, stupid Half-Blood. I will make Hades, with the rest of his useless children, bow to me.” She coughed out before snapping her fingers.  
As soon as she snapped her fingers, Mist started curling around her and surrounded her body, that lay on the ground.  
In a minute, The Mist that was covering her retreated, leaving behind no inclination of the Goddess of Ghosts, ever being there.  
I heard Serephone speak from behind me, “She’s not dead.” And it confirmed, the thought that was lingering in the back of my head.

“And unfortunately, she was right.” A sense of dread washed over me, as she spoke those last words.  
I turned around to see her holding a golden spear in her hand, the tip of it was dripping, with a green fluid.  
The liquid burned through the gravel as it fell on the ground, I gulped and felt nauseous.  
“I thought, you were loyal to Hecate. And if you are, then why are you doing this?” I screamed at her betrayal.  
She brandished her spear around, “Hecate must’ve been forced to bow in front of the Olympians. She is as great as any of them, but is still called a Minor Goddess.”  
I was fuming at this point, “She joined us by her choice. Everyone respects them but you monsters are nothing but your namesakes. Hecate wouldn’t want this.”  
“How would you know that?” She made a scornful remark with an expression to match it.  
“Just run, I’ll give you a head start, but in five minutes, if I see you then I’ll have to kill you.”  
I was seething with anger, “No. I defeated Melinoe and Koios in battle. I am not afraid of you.”  
She looked at me with contempt, “I don’t have to do anything, but you have to drink from the Phlegethon.”  
That’s when the adrenaline from the battle started dying down and I remembered, that I didn’t have a drink from the Phlegethon in a long while.

“Don’t be stupid. Drink from the Phlegethon then go towards the heart of Tartarus, by following the River Acheron.” Serephone told me the way.  
I wanted to just run at her and stab her with my sword but I could feel my vision blurring and the pain returning to me.  
At that moment, I felt nothing but hatred for Serephone and the pain, that Tartarus’ environment was inflicting on me.  
I knew that I had to take a drink from the Phlegethon but I also wanted to make Serephone, regret betraying me.  
Even then, I tried one last time to persuade her so she joins our side, “Serephone, you’re better than this, prove it and work for Hecate rather than Tartarus.”  
This time, she didn’t even try to act nice, “You have four minutes before I kill you, stupid Child of Hades.”  
I ran towards the River of Fire, trying to gather some distance between me and the Empousa.  
My first sip, reminded me of the disgusting taste, yet it still felt good as the pain retreated and my mind cleared up.

I tried to regroup with myself, Serephone had mentioned, the Heart of Tartarus and following the River Acheron.  
Even though, I didn’t know if she was leading me into a trap, I had to follow her instructions, because I didn’t have any other clue.  
However, finding the Acheron, wouldn’t be an easy task. At least I was close to the Delta of Despair, so I could hopefully find my way from their.  
I looked around and saw four rivers flowing into the Delta, from the direction that I had walked from.   
The Phlegethon was the easiest to identify because of it’s fire-like water. Following it were The Cocytus, The Styx and The Lethe.  
That meant that the River, I had seen flowing from the other side of the Delta, was The Acheron.  
So I decided to start walking towards the Acheron, hoping that I wouldn’t run into Serephone.  
Because I didn’t need to waste any more time, trying to fight her rather than the original purpose, I came for here.  
I stood and took a look around me and I saw that Serephone wasn’t in the area.  
Now normally, that would have been a point of concern because I had lost track of her.

But being in Tartarus, I had already lost my perception of Time, it was as if I had been in there for days.  
But in reality, I couldn’t discern if it had actually been that or rather, a few hours.  
I hoped it was the latter and that Nico and the rest of my friends were safe, I hoped that, me jumping in here, would guarantee their safety.  
I mean, it wasn’t like all of them would have accepted me as a friend. I had just met them for a few days, it takes time to gain trust.  
But I was confident enough to know that Nico trusted me and it was the same vice versa.   
I trusted Nico and put his safety above even mine. He was like a brother to me.


	19. Annabeth

I remember Arachne, trying to create a compromise by having Abdur take my place.  
And I didn’t want that to happen, he didn’t deserve to suffer for a fight that I picked.  
I tried to scream at Arachne, hoping to use her pride against her, like the last time we met.  
But she was doing a great job at keeping me quiet, I tried to kick her legs so she would let me go but I couldn’t reach.  
Arachne then said something about Tartarus, wanting Abdur himself rather than anyone else.  
I got suspicious at that, I didn’t want to trust him, just so he turns out to be a traitor.  
I mean, there was Percy, Nico, Hazel, Frank, Leo. But Tartarus choose someone, who had only recently become a half-blood.  
And that either meant that Abdur was a traitor or he was really important for Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter.  
And if it was the latter, rather than the former, as I hoped. It meant that we would need him to stay with us.  
Who know’s, maybe it would’ve meant a break for me and Percy from saving the world.

But for now, I needed to be focused on the task at hand, and that was to defeat Arachne.  
I think Hazel, tried to summon a sharp rock underneath Arachne, so that she would be impaled and hopefully defeated.  
The plan, even though executed properly, failed. Arachne must’ve known about Hazel’s powers, because she had created something using her silk under her, to protect herself.  
“Do you really think that I would not be prepared for any of you. This is the limit, now I will take Annabeth into Tartarus.” Arachne warned us as she started walking backwards.  
My friends continued to follow her and she hissed, “Stay back or else.” She moved her mouth over my head.  
I started struggling even more as the smell of poison and sweetness was overwhelming me.   
I could see Percy, gripping Riptide so tightly, that his hand had turned white. He had a look of anger plastered on his face.  
“Ok fine I surrender. Take me instead of Annabeth. Tartarus will reward you even more.” Abdur gave into Arachne’s demands.  
She smiled at him, “Thank you for taking the smart choice. Now I would like you to swear on the River Styx to not go back on your words.”  
The struggle to get out of her grip increased from my side. I didn’t want any of my friends nor Abdur, to make a promise that they couldn’t keep, and that too, on the River Styx.  
We all knew how serious a swear on the River Styx was so I didn’t need another problem added to our long list.

“I swear on the River Styx to follow your demands and not go back on them.” Loud thunder boomed signifying the promise, that Abdur had made.  
What was Abdur thinking. I mean I was honored, that he simply exchanged his life with mine.  
My friends didn’t even try to stop him from doing so, and now we couldn’t stop Arachne, even if we wanted to.  
The Spider smiled and then laughed, “But unfortunately, now I don’t have any use for this.”   
Arachne threw me, a few feet through the air and I crashed against a giant rock.  
Instantly, my ears started ringing and my vision blurred. I could feel the iron taste of blood as it flowed out of my mouth.  
I heard Piper and Percy screaming something and also the sound of a lion roaring.  
But there couldn’t have been a lion in the Underworld. It must’ve been Frank, who had turned into a lion.  
However, none of that mattered, as the pain overtook every part of my body. I tried to get up or even move, but I didn’t have the strength to do so.  
I could hear Percy sitting next to me and saying, “Come on Wise Girl, stay with me here.”  
I closed my eyes for a minute, took a deep breath and opened them again, hoping that some of the pain would subside.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Percy’s sitting next to me, with Riptide drawn out.   
He was talking to Piper and I could barely hear heir conversation, “Piper, we need some Ambrosia now. Do you have any?”  
Piper in reply, said that only Will would have some Ambrosia. I looked around to see Leo and Calypso, standing to the side, surveying the surroundings, with look’s of worry on their face.  
I couldn’t see Frank, Hazel, Nico, Will and Abdur. Arachne must’ve taken Abdur and the others must’ve followed her.  
Percy must’ve seen me moving because he brought his attention to me, “Hey Wise Girl. You’re gonna be fine, Will has some ambrosia, and when he’s back, you can have some of it.”  
I didn’t care about my self at that moment, even though there was a lingering thought of death in my mind, especially because I was in the Underworld.  
But the feeling was being put aside because the pain had still not completely receded.  
I was angry at myself for letting my guard down, and failing my friends. I had been training since I was seven, I had fought two wars but still I let my guard down, which allowed Arachne to capture me.

But I couldn’t let that stay on my mind and let it distract me for the other battles, that would come.  
At that moment, all we could do was wait, for the others to come back, hopefully defeating Arachne.  
Piper left me, with Percy as she left to regroup and plan with Calypso and Leo.  
“You’ll be perfectly fine, Wise Girl.” Percy reassured me and I could do nothing but laugh.  
He looked at me with a look of consuming on his face until I explained, “Seaweed Brain, obviously I’m going to be ok. I’m just worried about the rest of our group.”  
“They’ll be fine, I mean they have Nico, Will, Frank, Hazel and Abdur with them. I think they’ll be able to take on Arachne.” Percy reassured me but I still didn’t feel so sure.  
I voiced out my concerns, “Percy you heard what Arachne made Abdur do. He swore on the River Styx.”  
Percy’s expression proved that he could see, where I was going with this but he still let me continue, by motioning with his hands.  
“I mean as a Child of the Underworld. He of all half-bloods, should know how serious the oath is.”  
I continued explaining, “What if he breaks the swear. It could come back to hurt us tremendously.”  
Percy took a moment to understand, “Oh. Oh no. He wouldn’t just jump into Tartarus, would he?”  
“Not unless he was on Tartarus’ side. I mean, no one would purposely jump down there.” I asked Percy, not really expecting an answer.

Percy was quiet and he kept looking forward, with a look of worry on his face.  
I had no doubt, that he was thinking about his time and experiences in Tartarus. Having personally experienced it with Percy, I knew that it was no place for any one besides monsters.  
“Hey Perce, everything ok, what are you thinking about.” I asked Percy, because I was concerned.  
“Too many betrayals.” Percy explained. “We’ve gone through so many betrayals. I just hope that Abdur isn’t one of them.”  
I silently agreed with him, Camp Half-Blood had gone through so many betrayals. It might’ve been the turning point in both wars.  
And I feared that this one against Tartarus, would be our deadliest war. I mean, we were fighting The Pit. A Primordial. The Protogenos of the Abyss.  
“Also Nico.” Percy continued speaking. “I care about his happiness and ever since he started dating Will, he looked happier. With Abdur as well, in a way, he got another sibling.”  
Percy broke off there and I understood what he meant, we all cared a lot about Nico and we knew that it would break him, if he lost another sibling.  
“So Seaweed Brain.” I jokingly called to Percy. “Want to go to the movies after we get out of here.”   
He gave me the mischievous smile that I had grown to love, “You know it Wise Girl, but I get to choose this time.”  
It was nice to have a moment of calmness amidst all the chaos, “Consider it done.”

“Well if both of you Love Birds are done then we could use some help.” Leo called for us.  
Percy turned as red as a tomato and I might’ve done the same, we both turned behind to see Calypso lightly punch Leo on his arm.  
“I mean I can try to get up, but what seems to be the problem?” I asked Leo and Calypso.   
Both of them moved aside and my heart broke at what I saw. Nico had his head pressed against Will’s shoulder.  
Hazel also had tears in her eyes, while Frank was trying to comfort her and Piper was standing next to them.  
I knew what had happened but I still asked them, hoping that my suspicion would be wrong, and he was safe.  
“Where is Abdur?” I asked and Percy nodded along with me. There was complete silence for a minute.  
It was all it took for me to understand and process, what had happened. My worst fear was coming true.  
An untrained half-blood had jumped into Tartarus, a place for no mortals or immortals, to protect us.   
Hazel just stared at us with tears flowing out of the corner of her eyes, she took a big gulp and then shook her head.  
Leo had still not taken the in the situation so he asked, “But he can make it out of there alive, right?”  
Nico removed his head from Will’s shoulder, he had a look of pure anguish on his face, as if he was about to break down at any moment.  
“No. Don’t you get it, he’s gone. I bring death to all those near to me. Bianca. Jason. And now my own brother.”  
His voice sounded explosive yet fragile at the same time, it would take the tiniest bit of pain to break him apart.  
“But you made it out of there alive.” Leo pointed out. “Percy and Annabeth survived and left Tartarus.”

This time Nico got angry, accompanying the pain and anguish already present on his face.  
“Don’t you understand Leo. I was caught almost instantly by the Earth Mother’s forces.” He took a moment to breathe before continuing with the same passion.  
“Even though Percy and Annabeth, both are the strongest half bloods I know, they had Bob, Damasen, and Small Bob helping them. A Titan, Giant, and a Spartoi.”  
In normal circumstances, I would’ve gotten a little angry or even mad, for someone throwing Bob and Damasen’s name around like that.  
But Nico was the only reason, that Bob had even come to help us, we wouldn’t have survived without Nico.  
When I thought of it then and there, I realized the countless situations, where we wouldn’t have survived without Nico.  
“Gaia’s forces kept me alive because they needed me as bait, and the Doors of Death were chained down when Percy and Annabeth were down there.”  
A tear left Nico’s eye, as he sniffled and put his face back on Will’s shoulder, who tried to comfort him by placing a hand on his back.  
While it was great to see Nico care for someone this greatly, I also felt so bad for him.  
Leo started to say something again but Calypso just shook her head and Leo obliged by staying quite.  
Hazel walked away from Frank to Nico, presumably to make him feel better, even though she was barely holding back her tears.

I examined the grave situation around me, the pain spiked back in my back, from when I had been thrown.  
Leo couldn’t believe what had happened, as he still tried to somehow act normal, even though the whole situation was bad.  
Calypso and Piper stood next to each other, talking to each other with looks of disbelief.  
Frank decided to just look around and survey the area, we didn’t need any monsters to sneak up on us.  
Nico still had his head on Will’s shoulder, I had never seen Nico show this much emotions.  
I had felt as if this was all my fault, I let my guard down and Arachne took her chance.  
Leo walked up to Frank and whispered something into his ears, Frank nodded and walked up to Will.  
He said something to Will, which I didn’t hear but Will Solace nodded and handed something to Frank from his pocket.  
Frank walked back to Leo and gave the thing which Will had passed to him then Leo started walking over to us.  
“I think you needed this Annabeth.” Leo handed me some Ambrosia, which he must’ve gotten from Will.  
“Thank you Leo.” He beamed as I thanked him and in reply, he just smiled, “Your welcome, Owl Head.”  
I stared at him as he quickly quipped back, “I’m sorry, Annabeth.” And he ran off.  
He didn’t seem insulted or scared rather it was as if he was trying to act witty.  
I didn’t care about that however, I asked Percy while nibbling on my Ambrosia.  
“So Perce, what do we do now?” I absentmindedly asked him, constantly looking around.  
“I..” Percy looked at me and shrugged before sighing and continuing, “We can’t do anything but hope that somehow Abdur is alive.”


	20. Abdur

I had been following the Acheron for quite some time and I had still not found the Heart of Tartarus, that Serephone was talking about.  
Occasionally, I would have to kill a Dracaena or some other monster that would try to kill me.  
Then drink fire from the Phlegethon, which was the only thing that was sustaining me.  
I was slowing becoming insane, due to being in Tartarus. I didn’t know if it was just this bad, or I was being exposed to more of its horrors.  
Because I was a child of Hades or maybe because Tartarus, specifically wanted to leave me insane.  
I commended Nico, Percy and Annabeth, for getting out of here alive, only the strongest could survive this.  
This was pure torture to my mind, having to worry about imminent death at any moment.  
The whole experience was turning me bitter, I could feel my thoughts altering down there.  
But it wasn’t just Tartarus affecting them, it was me realizing, how messed up this world actually was.  
Another thing which was certain for me was the fact that I wouldn’t leave Serephone alive, the next time I saw her.  
Even if it was to turn back to the Olympians, I wouldn’t be ready to trust her, nor be tricked by the Empousa again.

I noticed the Phelegethon had stopped flowing, which I hoped meant that I wouldn’t have to go much farther to reach the Heart of Tartarus, if it even existed.  
It took a moment for me to realize that this would be the point of no return, if I was to believe that Serephone wasn’t lying then I would go ahead.  
Even though I was skeptical of what the Empousa had told me, I couldn’t do anything but believe her.  
Because I did not have any direction inside Tartarus, I had come down here hoping that Tartarus might just show himself and I would attack him.  
Maybe it was overconfident in that moment or maybe I was just trying to defend Nico and the rest of my friends.  
I cared a lot about them and didn’t need them going through anything more than they would have to.  
Or maybe it was because I felt like I had to prove myself to Hades, I understood Death and the Dead, I respected them as well as Hades, his realm and what he stood for.  
Whatsoever the reason was, I had not begun regretting it even then in the place where monsters would be the strongest.  
I was stuck with my thoughts as I decided to take the risk and continue onwards, leaving behind the Phelegethon.  
My sword was kept in my hand, it’s ominous purple glow making me feel safe in a way.  
It reminded me of what I was fighting for, my friends, the world but most importantly, my family, Nico.

I looked to my left, on the other side often Acheron, there was a palace or mansion.   
It wasn’t too grand or majestic, but there was something about it which made me shudder in fear.  
The whole mansion was pure black and shadowy, as it was made out of shadows rather than any rock or other building material.  
It was very stark in comparison to Hades Palace, which was grand and elaborate.  
I didn’t like the look or the aura that was glowing off the mansion so I’d decided to stay away from it.  
A few times, there were close calls with some monsters that had tried to attack me.   
I wasn’t being fazed by the Dracaena’s or Empousa’s that came with battle armor and swords.  
They were relatively easy to take down, however I had let my guard down when I was fighting an Empousa and a Hell-Hound snuck up on me.  
I just felt something was off as I attacked the Empousa who barely blocked my slash.  
Fortunately for me, I rolled out of the way much to the confusion of the Empousa who had a look of confusion on her face.  
She realized too late that there was a 1,700 pound Hell Hound, the size of a grizzly bear lunging at her, with it’s mouth open.  
In one bite, the Empousa turned into dust as she was bit, right on her head. The Hell Hound barked very loudly and turned around to look at me with blood red eyes.  
“I’m not afraid of you.” I screamed at the Hell Hound as I slashed in an arc with my sword.  
The Hell Hound had conflicting reactions, because it yelped first, seeing my sword being forged from Stygian Iron.  
Then it tried to redeem itself by growling loudly at me and then walking menacingly in a semi-circular pattern, in front of me.  
The dog had the advantage of size and raw, brute strength, however, I was more agile and had the better weapon.  
And I was planning to use that to my advantage, and I did so perfectly. The Hell Hound charged and leaped at me.  
I rolled aside and stabbed with my sword into the right side of the Hell Hound, who yelped in pain then rolled on it’s side, before standing back up, with a huge gash on it’s side.  
  
“Just run away.” I screamed at the Hell-Hound. “Do you really want to experience death?”   
I didn’t know if it understood what I was saying, because even if it did, then it didn’t show any inclination of doing so.  
The Hell Hound growled at me, but there was a lot of blood flowing out of the wound.  
However, it was unlike normal blood because it was darker in color and it bubbled as it flowed.  
But it didn’t stay like that for long, because for some reason, the wound started healing.  
In a minute, the wound had completely healed over, as I continued to look on in shock.  
“Obviously, your wounds heal over.” I grumbled to my self as I got ready for the Hell Hound, who was already ready to lunge at me again.  
I made an impulsive decision, which could’ve easily backfired on me. I rushed at the Hell Hound, and then tried to Shadow Travel behind it.  
And I did so perfectly, the Hell Hound stopped dead in it’s track and stood there, completely baffled regarding my whereabouts.  
I sneaky up behind the unsuspecting Hell Hound and brought my sword into it’s side.  
This time the Hell Hound seemed even more shocked and in pain because the yelp was louder and the blood started flowing readily.  
However, I had seen the previous wound of the Hell Hound healing and I didn’t need that to happen again.  
So I brought my sword down into the Hell Hound’s body multiple times, each stab was powered with immense hatred.  
The dog was helping and I might have felt mercy or stopped stabbing the Hell Hound, had I not been in Tartarus but unfortunately down here, I knew that if I let any monster go, it would be the death of me.  
After 1 more slash down into the Hell Hound, it dissipated into a golden dust which was sucked up by my sword.

After defeating the Hell Hound, I took a moment to relax and breathe. I opened up my black backpack with a skull printed on it.  
Even though it had been extremely charred and damaged, fortunately for me, it was still in one piece.  
I opened it up and searched for some Ambrosia that I could eat, hoping that it would sustain me instead of the Phlegethon.  
And I did find some smashed up pieces of Ambrosia, and the other major thing present in my backpack was the note that I had from Hades.  
I had decided that if I made it out of Tartarus alive, then I would take a picture with Nico, get it printed and keep it alongside the note, just to remind me that I wasn’t hallucinating or dreaming.  
I had gotten a brother, someone who cared about me as much as I did him. A camp where I might be accepted and new powers.  
Sure, a lot of people would be very scared of me, even at camp, Nico and I literally emitted death but at least, we had each other and some people that cared about us.   
But for now I had to keep going forward, once again my sword was keeping me safe and the thought of defeating Tartarus and making sure my friends and Nico were safe was also a driving factor.  
I continued going forward when I noticed the ground getting more charred and ruined as it headed into a divot.  
There were large spirals of rocks, rising out of the ground for a few feet before abruptly ending.  
I also noticed many tube-like structures in the ground, which had different fluids flowing through them.   
It was when I took a closer look at them that I discerned, the liquid flowing through the tubes was actually from the 5 rivers of the Underworld.  
And that’s when it also dawned on me, that these must’ve been the ‘veins’ in the Heart of Tartarus.  
I was getting closer to where Serephone had told me to reach, that was until I stopped dead in my tracks.  
The divot had reached its maximum point down below and I looked down inside the slight valley.

I was shocked at the sight that I was met with, and considered myself lucky for having the huge spiral in front of me to hide behind.  
There was a huge army of monsters assembled. And when I meant huge, I meant more monsters than all that I had fought combined.  
There were Cynocephali, Blemmyae, Empousa’s, Dracaena’s, Cyclopes, Centaurs.  
Among them were also different types of monsters and giants that I didn’t know about.  
Such as a group of ten giants that each had 6 hands. Most of the giants looked like they were 7 to 8 feet tall.  
Each of the Giants had large and surprisingly sharp rocks in all of their hands.  
Accompanying the aforementioned giants were another different group of giants.  
They really were gigantic in size as they were thirty-foot tall and oddly, they also had blue skin and icy-gray hair.  
Wherever they stood and walked to, the ground was turning to ice and frost. It reminded me of Koios.  
There were also a lot of Giant animals, such as, Badgers, Eagles, Snakes, Crabs, and Scorpions.  
The absolute sheer amount of monsters was overwhelming, there was no chance that all of us on this quest would’ve been able to take them on.  
Nonetheless, me fighting this army of monsters alone, would be nothing less than suicide.  
And now Tartarus’ plan was clear to me, he didn’t care about fighting us or taking us own, he just wanted to pick one or all of us off.  
He knew that the only reason Gaia had been defeated was because of the Half-Bloods.  
And if he could take even one of us out, this easily then that would not only demotivate the rest of us but it would remove a crucial part of our team.  
Now I was stuck here, with no clue on what I was supposed to do. Because there would be no way that I could beat all of the monsters.  
Neither would Tartarus just come and show himself to me. I was totally lost on what my next move should’ve been.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t in control of what I could’ve done because I heard a familiar voice shout.  
“Don’t you smell him.” Serephone shouted at the assembled monsters. “He’s right behind that rock.”  
I could feel the thousands of eyes staring right at me and I sighed to myself. I really hated Serephone.  
There was no way that I would be able to fight the monsters so maybe I could out-wit them.  
Sure, I was no child of Athena, but I believed myself to be smarter than the monsters.  
“Well I don’t think this is fair, is it?” I asked the monsters as I stepped in front of them, with my sword drawn.  
Instantly, the monsters that were standing in the front lines, stepped back and started mumbling, “Child of Hades.”  
Perhaps, I could’ve taken and used this to my advantage, “Yes, I am the Son of Hades.”  
I slashed my sword through the air, in the shape of an arc. The monsters, even though a fair distance away from me, stepped back.   
“Gah. So what if he’s a child of Hades.” Serephone screamed at her soldiers. “Just attack him.”  
There was some apprehension from the Dracaena, Cynocephali, Blemmyae and the Empousa, who made up most of the front line, in numbers of hundred each.  
However, all the different types of Giants, Cyclopes, Centaurs and Giant Animals looked like they wanted a fight.  
One of the Dracaena’s shouted, “Serephone, You aren’t even our leader. Tartarus is just waiting for the Giants to rise once more.”  
That made much more sense, and explained why Serephone had been trying to gain the respect of Tartarus.  
And if she got lucky, the Empousa would’ve been leading an auxiliary force of monsters.

“Well, if you believe it is like that.” Serephone coldly replied as she threw her sword at the Dracaena, who spoke against her.  
The Snake woman turned into dust and Serephone simply asked, “Are there any more questions?”  
I could see that most of the frontline attackers had been filled wth fear and the bigger monster didn’t appreciate Serephone for what she did.  
But still, she had somehow established almost a hierarchy and proven that she wasn’t to be taken lightly.  
“Serephone.” I shouted at her to get her attention. “Prove it to all the monsters which are assembled here, that you are worthy enough to lead them into battle.”  
She looked at me indifferently, “I’m not going to be tricked by you, do you not understand that?”  
“And do you not understand, that you aren’t our leader.” One of the Frost Giants gently replied.  
Serephone knew that trying to fight against one of the giants would be fruitless, so she ignored him.  
“As I said.” Serephone simply stepped back and started watching. “Rip his head off.”  
With that simple command from Serephone, all of the frontline charged at me with their weapons drawn.  
There were spears, swords, knifes, sickles, and even some scythes. Most of the weapons were made out of Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold.  
I knew that I only had a few seconds before I would be met with their weapons, so I had to make a split second decision.  
I willed the shadows around me to solidify, almost as a shield but I left a little spot, just so I could have a clear view of the monster and still attack them with my sword.  
They came flooding in all at once, and the shield that I had created barely solidified before the first strike occurred.  
There was a deep bang and instinctively I stabbed my sword at where I heard the loud sound from.

There was aloud gasp from the monsters who stepped back as I looked at a Cynocephali getting sucked up by my sword.  
The gasps from the monsters were heard once more, “Stygian Iron.” That was the most common phrase heard.  
It seemed as if Serephone hadn’t prematurely warned them about my weapon of choice.  
“You didn’t tell us that he wields that.” One of the Empousa’s screamed at their temporary leader  
Serephone looked indifferent to the feelings of her fellow Empousa, “That would have been unnecessary.”  
The Empousa’s and Dracaena’s backed away from me, and the Blemmyae’s were more reluctant but then they asked.  
“We don’t want to be rude, but we’ll be backing away from you as we do not like your weapon.” And with that the Cynocephali were the only one’s still at a respectable distance from me.  
I looked at Serephone then laughed at her, “Looks like your soldier’s don’t believe you anymore.”  
“Gah.” Serephone screamed at everyone. “Attack him. What are you all doing.”  
None of the Monsters reacted besides the Cynocephali, who ran at me trying to tear my head off.  
I started moving my sword around, each strike turned at least three Cynocephali into dust.  
In a matter of minutes of constant stabs, strikes, slashes and more unorthodox moves, such as sweeping the dog headed creatures legs and making them fall down.  
There were no more Cynocephali left alive, I was panting a little but besides that I had no noticeable damage from the fight.  
“You know what.” I rhetorically asked Serephone and the rest of the monsters.  
“I’m not liking the odds of this battle.” I continued with no regards to Serephone. “1 half-blood to 1000 monsters doesn’t seem fair. Does it?”  
The leading Empousa slyly smiled at me, “So does that mean that you shall admit defeat and let Tartarus destroy you?”  
“No.” I simply replied to Serephone. “It’s just that I thought about evening out the playing field.”  
She looked at me with confusion being the only discernible emotion, that was shown on her face.  
“Wha-“ Her question was cut short by the ground shaking and then opening up.  
Out of the cracks in the ground, flooded out Skeleton Warriors, with armor and weaponry.  
I could only summon about fifty of them before I felt my powers being pushed to there absolute limits.  
And I knew that if I tried to summon even more skeletons, then I would do no favor to myself but exhaustion.  
All of the Skeletons marched over to me and surrounded me in rows. “Now that’s a little more fair.”  
“Stupid Demigod.” Serephone laughed at me. “What will 50 Skeletons do, that one Child of Hades cannot do?”  
Even though she had a point, I didn’t want to give her the confidence over me on it.  
However, I did agree with her, summoning those Skeletons did nothing but waste my energy.  
“Why don’t you find out, Serephone?” I screamed at her and pointed my sword at her, trying to look threatening.  
“Don’t you monsters and Half-Bloods know how to refer to a Primordial.” Those words sent shivers through my back.  
I looked at Serephone and the rest of the monsters, who had looks of pure fear on their faces.  
And I knew exactly why that was the reaction from the monsters and it was made even clearer, when all of the monsters bowed down.

I turned around and saw a Giant being standing an immense height. He had a very strong power to him.  
It was like the ones that could be felt from the Olympians and the Titans but the feeling was stronger.  
His skin rippled with muscles and glistened a deep, vibrant color of purple. His fingers were also tipped with razor-sharp black talons.  
However, his most terrifying and distinguishing feature is his face-in place of a normal face was a swirling whirlpool and inward spiral of darkness.  
The atmosphere around me completely changed, it was as if Tartarus simply being there, had sucked the oxygen out of the air.  
“All of you are useless.” Tartarus screamed at his assembled monster army. “You couldn’t even take down a stupid Half-Blood.”  
His voice sounds like it was being drawn back inward rather than projecting outward.  
I had never felt fear as extreme as I did, when I was standing in front of the Primordial of the Abyss.  
Not even, when I looked right into the Helm of Darkness. My friends seemed affected by the Helm.  
But Hazel, Nico and I felt no different from the Helmet’s effect, however this feeling was unlike any I had felt.  
Tartarus' black Stygian iron boots were each the size of a coffin, and his hands were as large as crane scoops.  
“Master Tartarus.” Serephone continued speaking while bowing. “I have assembled an auxiliary force for you.”  
Tartarus just stamped his foot down, sending shockwaves among the forces, who fell.  
“A force, which can’t even defeat one Half-Blood.” Tartarus repeated. “So what if he’s the Child of Hades.”  
I noticed that everything around the Primordial, was being drawn to him, almost as if he had his own gravitational force.  
His breastplate had faces of gorgons, monsters, cyclopes and dragons all pressing against his armor as if trying to escape.  
I also noticed a figure that looked identical to Hyperion, only if you would’ve replaced the Golden, harsh light that enveloped the Titan, with a silver and more elegant pattern.  
Accompanying the figure was a Skeleton cat, I don’t know the reason that I had noticed them specifically.  
“And you.” He pointed towards me as my let’s felt like jelly in the moment. “Gaia’s death shall be avenged.”  
I didn’t dare speak or interrupt him and let him continue, “Starting with Hades. He shall bow to me and hand over his symbols of power, then he shall be imprisoned in my Domain.”  
“Before you do that.” I was fueled with emotions and anger as I mocked Tartarus. “Why don’t you get through me first.”  
He just laughed, which sounded like a mountain being cracked into half, “Arrogant Half-Blood.”  
He mocked me then he snapped his fingers, and with a single snap, all of 5e Skeletons that I had summoned, turned into bones.  
“Child of the Dead. It took you a lot of Energy, just to summon all of those Spartoi.” Tartarus snapped at me.  
“I am the Primordial of the Pit.” Tartarus boomed loudly. “You are nothing in front of me, Son of Hades.”  
And I knew that he was correct, it would be nearly impossible to defeat Tartarus, that too in his domain.

Serephone asked Tartarus, “Master Tartarus. May I be allowed to finish this Half-Blood for you.”  
“Stupid Empousa.” Tartarus roared at Serephone. “You couldn’t even defeat him with an army.”  
Serephone looked very scared and she barely stuttered out, “Master Tartarus, I shall not fail you this time.”  
“You’re right.” Tartarus exclaimed to the happiness and relief of Serephone, who sighed.  
Tartarus smiled thinly and continued, “However I have a better task for you and this auxiliary force.”  
“Yes Master Tartarus.” Serephone responded with apprehension. “We will follow your orders.”  
Tartarus looked pleased at Serephone’s remarks. “That is perfect and now listen to my instructions carefully.”  
I don’t know if Tartarus had complete forgotten the fact that I was there or he was just trying to make me feel annoyed.  
“You and your army shall head for the Camps. First the Greek’s then the Romans.” Tartarus ordered Serephone.  
My heart practically leapt put of my throat as I quietly yelped and Serephone smiled at me as she noticed my look of shock.  
“Don’t leave any Half-Blood alive and burn both the Camps to the ground.” Tartarus ordered Serephone and the other Monsters, who were developing a small yet sinister smile.  
I looked at the number of Monsters, and realized that neither of the Camps, would be able to hold off sustained attacks from the Monster Army.  
And this was only the Auxiliary Force. Tartarus would still revive the Giants, and the various other monsters that were reforming.  
Such as, Medusa, the Gorgons, the Minotaur, Kampé and maybe even Typhon.  
Tartarus must’ve understood what I was thinking because he used the same mountain-breaking laugh at me.  
“This is just a preview.” He shouted for everyone to hear. “The Giants shall rise once more, then no one will be able to save Olympus.”  
I didn’t want to believe him but from what I had seen, there would be no way either of the camps could hold of the attacks.  
Unless, they banded together and cooperated with each other but with the way that Hank was trying to get Camp Jupiter against Camp Half-Blood.  
It seemed unlikely that the Legion would want to cooperate with the Greeks or as some of them called us ‘Graecus Scum’  
I just hoped that Reyna would be reverting those feelings from the Legion because it would be great to have a whole army of trained soldiers fighting with us.  
“Let the monsters come.” I shouted at Tartarus and the monsters that were present. “There is no way that all the monsters would be able to defeat even one camp.”  
“Well then.” Tartarus roared loudly. “We’ll find out. Won’t we? Serephone, lead the armies and kill every Half-Blood.”   
He snapped his fingers and I looked around to see all of the Monsters with Serephone, were gone.  
“What. Were are they?” I was shocked to see that the army of thousands had just disappeared.  
Tartarus simply replied, “Unfortunately, you will not be able to see them crush both the Camps.”  
“That would be too merciful of me.” Tartarus continued speaking to my dismay. “Anyway, the Camps shall lead by a thousand cuts. And you do not have time to witness them.”  
I was angry and fuming at the fact that Tartarus was underestimating us, “Forget the Legion. You won’t even get past Camp Half-Blood.”  
He started laughing again, “I would be more worried about yourself and the Underworld.”  
I didn’t know how to reply because he was correct, if I didn’t stop him then the Underworld could potentially fall.  
“How would Hades feel?” He asked me rhetorically. “Seeing his Champion die then the rise of Tartarus and the Giants.”

“Tartarus.” I simply asked him. “Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to destroy the Olympians.”  
A giant spear solidified next to him, and he said with anger, “I don’t answer to a Stupid Half-Blood. Especially anyone related to Hades.”  
He charged at me and I barely rolled out of the way, due to his enormous size, he covered the ground between us in a few seconds.  
His spear was brought down a feet away from me, which got my heart racing as I slipped.  
“Stupid Child of Hades.” Tartarus boomed. “I can kill you with a single thought. You do know that.”  
I screamed in defiance, “Well then, why don’t you do it. It’s because you know that we Half-Bloods are the difference between your loss and win.”  
“Do you crave death?” Tartarus screamed at me as I decided to start backing away from the Primordial.  
“I continued to annoy the Primordial, which is normally not a very smart move.  
“I would really appreciate your death. I am the Champion of Hades, and I will be your bane.”  
He seemed angrier at that last remark because he threw his spear at me and it barely missed me.  
“I shall tear you to threads then the Giants will rise and we shall destroy the Olympians.”  
He charged at me again, and brought his foot down in an attempt to try to stomp me.  
And he was successful in his attempt, I wasn’t quick enough to roll out off the way.  
However, I was quick enough to create a shield of darkness around me, which I hoped would be strong enough to not break under the pressure of Tartarus’ Stygian Iron boots.  
I felt every part of my body hurt as Tartarus repeatedly stomped on my shield.  
I could hear the shield crack and no matter how much power and energy I added, it seemed as if the shield continued to break.  
Finally, my shield cracked under the immense pressure and force that Tartarus was applying.  
“This is it.” Tartarus boomed over me as I just lay on the ground, completely exhausted.  
It almost sounded as if he was laughing, “Child of Hades, you shall meet your death to my foot.”  
He raised his foot and brought it down again, I preemptively closed my eyes, expecting to be crushed under Tartarus’ foot.

However, I felt nothing so I looked around and I saw a dark shield covering me, which was very similar to the one that I had created.  
But I didn’t create it this time, neither was it taking any energy out of me, so I didn’t create it.  
I knew that Tartarus’ would be expecting me to be under the dome of darkness, so I tried to shadow-travel out of there.  
And I did so successfully, because I found myself a fair distance away from Tartarus.  
He was still stomping on the Shield made out of Darkness, and I was still wondering, about who was sustaining it.  
Tartarus picked up the spear that he had thrown at me and stabbed it through the Dome of Darkness.  
It started cracking up and breaking down but it was sustaining itself very well, and any damage done to it was repaired in a moments notice.   
That was until, it just stopped and collapsed in on itself. Tartarus was visibly confused because he didn’t see me in the original place where I had been.  
I also figured about who was generating the Shield that was protecting me from Tartarus’ blows.  
A 10 foot tall, imposing and muscular person stepped out of the shadows, he was wearing a Celestial Bronze Helmet, which was decorated with scenes of destruction and death.  
He also had a 5 foot long Stygian Iron Longsword, it was as dark as nightmares and it had a slight malevolent purple glow to it.  
I recognize the God as Hades, who was my patron, and as I looked at him with his pale skin and intense black eyes.  
He shot me a small smile, which made me feel confident and happier. I was so happy to have my parent, who would hopefully fight with me and support me.  
“Wonderful.” Tartarus was looking at us, with a new weapon in his hands. It was made out of shadows, like the Spear.  
But this time he had a giant Battle Axe with him, “Now I can destroy both of you together.”  
“Tartarus. You will regret trying to fight with me.” Hades simply replied, with his oily voice.  
The Primordial shouted at us, “I am not afraid of you Hades. Nor your Helm. I shall destroy you and your Child, then I shall destroy Persephone.”  
Hades’ eyes flared with a purple fire as he replied coldly, “Don’t talk about my family like that.”  
I hadn’t even noticed his battle armor due to the feeling of being happy to see Hades again, it was almost as if I had gained back some sanity.  
He wasn’t wearing the flowing, black robes that I had seen him wearing inside his palace.  
Instead, he was wearing Stygian Iron gloves, he was still wearing the rings that I had seen him wear.   
He was wearing imposing Stygian Iron armor, with a blood-red cape, which was accompanied by his terrifying Helm of Darkness.  
“Don’t worry Hades.” Tartarus boomed over us. “I shall treat the Underworld well.”  
Hades was getting infuriated and so was I but Hades was the one that replied first.  
“Enough Tartarus. Will you do anything but talk?” My Olympian Parent asked the Primordial.  
Tartarus screamed at us, “I shall make you suffer. Do you not know how to respect a Primordial.”  
“A primordial, who is past his due.” Hades simply replied before allowing his Helm to make himself invisible.

Tartarus must’ve known about the Helm of Darkness because he shouted at Hades.  
“Stop using your stupid Helmet.” Tartarus started screaming and throwing rocks in my general direction because Hades had last been seen here.  
I tried using Hades strategy by covering myself in shadows but there was definitely a difference from the Helm of Darkness and the shadows that I summoned.  
This was made clear to me, when Tartarus screamed, “Do you really think that you can hide yourself in the shadows.”  
I realized that it would be useless doing so, since Tartarus was still throwing rocks at me with amazing accuracy.  
“I should’ve also killed the Elder Cyclopes, when I killed Cottus and Gyges, the remaining Hekatonkheires.” Tartarus laughed as I dodged a rock.  
Hades kept himself hidden but he still roared, “You were the one who killed the remaining Hekatonkheires. They didn’t fade.”   
Tartarus started laughing again, “Yes. And I will kill the Elder Cyclopes then there would be nothing that Zeus would do about it.”  
Suddenly, a very sharp and large piece of rock, from underneath Tartarus, stabbed him.  
However, the Pit of Evil showed no sign of it hurting him because he simply removed his foot from the spiral of rock and stomped it.  
“Stupid Hades.” Tartarus screamed at Hades. “You were always my least favorite Son of Kronos.”  
Hades replied snarky from the shadows, “Your words do not mean anything to me, Tartarus.”  
Tartarus had been distracted by trying to throw the rocks at me and Hades, and simultaneously trying to force a mistake out of us.  
Hades charged from the shadows, still hidden by the Helm of Darkness and slashed at Tartarus.  
The only way that I had noticed that was because of Tartarus’ scream of intense pain.  
I looked at the Primordial, who had a giant slash on his kneecap armor, where there was Golden Ichor bleeding out from the wound.  
“That is the only hit that you will get on me, Hades.” Tartarus roared at my Olympian Parent.

I decided take advantage of Tartarus’ confusion by rushing at him, while he swatted around in the air.  
He still hadn’t noticed me so I stabbed my Stygian Iron Sword into his boots of the same material.  
There was a loud clang heard through the air, and I felt something chip of Tartarus’ boots.  
I looked down at his boot’s top part which had been completely destroyed, allowing me to stab the Primordial in his foot, multiple times.  
This time, there was no reaction from Tartarus, even though the Ichor was flowing this time as well.  
Instead, he kicked me very hardly and the pain instantly, kicked up in my chest as I flew through the air.  
I decided that it would hurt more if I didn’t shadow travel and let myself crash into the ground or a rock.  
Even though I did so and landed safely at a fair distance away from Tartarus, my chest was still hurting.  
Hades screamed and asked me from the darkness, “Abdur. Are you ok?” I was very glad to hear him, having concern for me.  
“Yes.” I replied through the pain, which had started to subside because I ate some Ambrosia. “I’m fine.”  
“Great. Try not to kill yourself.” His voice seemed more relaxed. “I already have a room setup for Nico, and I’ll make sure to get one for you as well.”  
The last part sounded like he was half-joking, which got a good chuckle out of me.  
Obviously, the two Sons of Hades would have a place in Hades’ Palace. So even if we unfortunately met our demise, we could live with family.  
Tartarus mockingly laughed, “Now if this tear-jerking moment is over, then are both of you ready to die?”  
I didn’t reply and neither did Hades, but I did start to charge at the Primordial again.  
In hindsight, that was a really dumb move and luckily, I had stopped charging into certain doom.

“What happened.” Tartarus screamed as he summoned a rock beneath me. “Are you really that fearful?”  
I didn’t have to answer him but I still screamed at the Primordial, “Don’t you know to keep your mouth shut?”  
Maybe Tartarus had become infuriated to the point of not even caring about the fact that we were here to kill him.  
“Have you Half-Bloods forgot that names have power? What has Chiron been teaching you?”  
I didn’t know what Tartarus was talking about so I asked him, “What do you mean?”  
He sighed, “Don’t you stupid Half-Bloods know? If you use the name of an immortal, they can hear your conversation in a way.”  
This was new information to me, and I didn’t know how to react to it. Tartarus just started laughing.  
“Are you even sure that Chiron is on your side?” The Primordial planted a seed of doubt in my mind.  
However, I wasn’t quick on believe him, even when he continued speaking and trying to convince me.  
“He doesn’t teach you the important information.” Tartarus repeated. “He’s the Son of Kronos.”  
I was infuriated because Tartarus was accusing my trainer to be a spy. And I didn’t believe it.  
“So what If he’s the Son of Kronos?” I screamed at the Pit of Evil. “I’m also the Son of Hades and I’m proud of it.”  
I heard Hades shout with pride in his voice, “Have you heard that Tartarus? I have sided with the Olympians and my family is going to fight with me.”  
When Hades called me a part of his family, I felt immense pride in being a Son of Hades.  
Tartarus, however, was not impressed by his gesture, “Hades was once feared, but now he cares more about family and his Demigod children.”  
“I prefer them to the Olympians and I probably take care of them more than the Olympians take care of their own.”  
I heard Hades mutter under his breath-but it was still audible-from somewhere behind me.  
That once again instilled happiness and confidence inside of me-a feeling that I wasn’t used to down in Tartarus-Hades loved Nico and I, more than the Olympians.

Then Hades spoke a little louder than before, just to annoy and also to get the Primordial’s attention.  
“Tartarus, you are a Primordial. You shall never understand what it is like to have a child. My Demigod children have brought honor to my house, and I believe that they will continue to do so.”  
I presumed that The Pit didn’t like being spoken to in this manner because Tartarus simply boomed at us.  
“Let’s see how long that lasts.” Tartarus started laughing as he threw multiple large rocks in my direction.  
I was dodging them well enough but they kept coming and it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so.  
“Hades. You shall lose the ones that you love.” Tartarus started laughing. “First Abdur, and then Nico.”  
I felt immense anger and I couldn’t control the Skeletons that started openly flowing from the ground.  
Tartarus kept the same reaction as before, “I shall take away the Half-Bloods that you are so proud of.”  
The Skeletons had stopped coming out of the ground, there must’ve been an army of 100, but they would not be able to do anything against the Primordial.  
“I would like you to even try to do so.” I shouted at the Pit of Evil. “You are no threat to Olympus.”  
The summoned Skeletons seemed to be reacting to my emotions because when I got angry, they started to charge at Tartarus.  
However, the Primordial faced no difficulty vanquishing the Undead Soldiers, just by stepping on them and then with one slash of his sword, all of the Spartoi were dead.  
“Do you think that a few Skeletons would be enough to kill me?” Tartarus started screaming at us, and I started to walk away from the Primordial.

Tartarus was getting ready to throw his axe at me, until he let out a scream of pure anguish.  
His weapon fell from his hand and made a loud clang as it clattered against the ground.  
I didn’t understand why Tartarus was screaming like this, however, I did understand the reason, when I noticed the Ichor flowing from his right arm.  
Hades must’ve stabbed him, when he had gotten distracted trying to talk to mock us.  
My suspicions were confirmed when Hades asked Tartarus, “And what were you saying about my children?”   
“I’ll show you Hades.” Tartarus roared at us. “I am the Primordial of the Abyss. You are only an Olympian.”  
The Pit, started randomly throwing his hand towards the area that he had been stabbed from.  
I didn’t think that Hades would be hit by Tartarus but I was proven wrong, when there was a loud thud next to me.  
And the body of Hades lay, with the Helm of Darkness and his Stygian Iron Sword a few feet away.  
He groaned a little before standing back up, his eyes flaming with a purple light and souls moving through them.  
For a second, I had gotten worried for him, even though I knew that Immortals couldn’t die, they could still be seriously hurt.  
I rushed to his side, gave him a hand to stand up with and also asked him if he was okay.  
“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” Hades grumbled as he stood back up and took his sword in his hand and wore his Helm again.  
I had noticed some Ichor on his armor but I wasn’t sure if it was his own or Tartarus’  
And neither did I get a chance to ask him because Tartarus shot a solid Bolt of Shadow at us.  
“You cannot kill me! I am the pit itself.” Tartarus screamed at us. “I am Eternal. I own you, flesh and spirit.”  
He kept trying to shoot the Bolts of Shadows at us, while Hades had escaped after becoming invisible once again.  
I wanted to shadow-travel out of the situation but I knew that it would start draining me again.

So I didn’t try to do so, and Tartarus started to rush at me again, which was only a few steps because of his gigantic size.  
He tried to stomp me once more but I rolled out of the way, as Tartarus started laughing.  
“I could kill you with a single thought.” He directed his anger towards me and tried to crush me.  
I stabbed Tartarus in his muscular calf as it started bleeding with huge amounts of Ichor.  
Without even thinking, I started mocking Tartarus again, “Then why don’t you do so?”  
“Hades.” Tartarus growled at me and Hades. “You should definitely teach your children about respect.”  
I heard my Olympian Parent shout from a fair distance away, “I could say the same for you Tartarus.”  
Tartarus didn’t like the remark from Hades because he threw a rock at the direction that Hades voice had come from.  
But he didn’t hit him so he screamed, “A single stab from my axe will split you into half, Hades.”  
“Tartarus, it seems as if all that you can do is talk.” Hades shouted at the Primordial.  
I was in close proximity to Tartarus so I slashed and stabbed at his calf and ankle again.  
The Pit must not have been able to see me under him because he screamed, “Where is that stupid Half-Blood?”  
The Ichor continued flowing and some of it that got on my sword, started boiling and turning black.  
It seemed as if Ichor or any type of blood, didn’t react positively with my Stygian Iron Sword.  
Tartarus started stomping and moving around in the area that he was standing.  
I almost got stomped a few times but luckily I was quick enough to move out of the way and not get hurt.  
However, my luck didn’t last long because Tartarus realized where I was and decided to pick me up with his hands.

I started thrashing around so that The Primordial would let me go, but it seemed to do nothing.  
He put me up right in front of his face and my heart skipped a few beats as I looked into his face which was a swirling whirlpool, that spiraled inwards in darkness.  
I had been slightly feeling Tartarus’ effect of fear but now, it hit me very hardly.  
“You came here to defeat me.” He roared. “Just for some Olympians, who won’t even repay you.”  
But as quick as that fear was instilled, I removed it from my self and shot back at Tartarus.  
“I’m not doing it for the Olympians.” I replied with anger. “I’m doing it for Hades and for Nico. I don’t care about you.”  
Tartarus must not have been expecting that because he didn’t reply for a moment before simply saying.  
“Then so be it.” He launched me towards the ground and I expected to be splat inside a few seconds.  
But fortunately for me, Hades must’ve swooped in and shadow travelled us away from the Primordial.  
I couldn’t see him but I still thanked him, “Thank you Hades. Wherever you are.”  
“Don’t worry, just try not to get too close to him again.” I heard him standing right next to me.  
I looked at Tartarus who was looking at the ground, probably trying to find the place that I had landed.  
“Hades.” The Primordial started screaming, when he understood what happened. “Stop saving that worthless Half-Blood Child of yours.”

“And what if I don’t listen to your stupid advice?” Hades replied with a lot of anger.  
Tartarus completely ignored what my Olympian Parent had said and changed the topic.  
“In the Battle of Manhattan.” Tartarus announced. “You used your Helm but didn’t turn invisible with it.”  
I didn’t understand the significance of that information and why Tartarus would be mentioning it.  
“Does that mean that you fear me more than Kronos?” Tartarus laughed while asking him.  
Hades replied with disdain, “I do not fear anyone or anything and certainly not you Tartarus.”  
The Primordial shot a Bolt constructed from Shadows at us and then laughed.  
“Then prove it, Hades.” He continued laughing. “Show yourself, stop trying to hide from me. Fight me like you did in the Battle of Manhattan.”  
It was so clear that Tartarus was trying to use our anger as a weapon giants ourselves.  
Hades must’ve known that but I still repeated aloud, “It’s a trap. He’s trying to trick us.”  
Tartarus feigned innocence and asked us, “And why would I do that? It’s much more fun seeing both of you suffer slowly.”  
“You don’t have any good hobbies, do you?” I tried mocking Tartarus and getting him angrier.  
Tartarus just ignored me and continued speaking, “Like I said Hades. You fear me.”  
That remark must’ve been the straw that broke the camels back because Hades became visible.  
He was standing next to me and still wearing his Helm of Darkness with his Sword in his hand.  
The main difference was that this time the Helm wasn’t turning him into the shadows.  
“Is this what you want Tartarus?” Hades shouted at The Primordial, who would’ve been grinning, if he had a normal face.  
But he still did laugh, “Do you see this Half-Blood? Even your parent is afraid of me.”

“Shut up Tartarus.” I screamed at the Primordial. “Hades isn’t afraid of you and he is stronger than you.”  
Tartarus didn’t like that remark because he shot back, “Watch your tongue, useless Half-Blood.”  
“Are you really going to repeat yourself?” Hades asked Tartarus. “You do nothing but talk.”  
Tartarus grumbled at us, “So you want action.” Suddenly, the ground started shaking around us as Tartarus charged.  
Hades flew away when The Primordial had gotten close and I tried to run away as well.  
“Both of you would like a fight and then run away.” Tartarus sounded extremely angry.  
I stabbed him on his ankle and Hades also shadow-travelled close to Tartarus, and stabbed him in his arm and the Axe, being held by his hand fell.  
“Who said anything about running away?” Hades and I said in sync with each other.  
Tartarus ignored the Ichor that was bleeding from his arms and legs, and he picked up his Axe again.  
And because he knew where Hades was, he threw his Axe at the Lord of the Underworld.  
Unfortunately, my Godly Parent wasn’t quick enough to dodge it and the Axe lodged itself into his shoulder blade.  
There was a roar from Hades, who simply removed the Axe from his shoulder and covered the open wound with shadows.  
Tartarus started laughing crazily at me and Hades, “What were you saying about only talking?”  
As the shadows left from his shoulder blade, his wound had also been completely healed with no Ichor bleeding out.  
“Make sure your attacks have significance.” Hades warned The Primordial and summoned a rock structure that speared through Tartarus’ midsection and his chest plate.  
A huge chunk from his armor was chipped off and we were presented with a beyond enraged Primordial.  
“How dare you.” Tartarus started screaming at us. It was as if he had never been hurt before.  
Which seemed very logical since there would’ve been no one to challenge Tartarus or even hurt him.  
Hades asked the question that was on my mind, “What Tartarus? Have you never had to fight before?”  
I didn’t allow The Primordial to answer and out of spite, I mocked Tartarus by answering for him.  
“Obviously, he’s not.” I spoke which angered Tartarus, and it was further proven by him, when he broke a rock from the structure that Hades had summoned and threw it at us.  
Fortunately, Hades had been quick enough to form a shield in front of us. I had tried to do so as well.  
But I couldn’t do it quick a pug and I was only able to make one it towards the front of Hades.

My energy had started to deplete again, and this battle with The Primordial was taking a lot of energy out of me.  
However, it was somehow also fueling me, the anger was a factor that continued to push me further.  
“Hades, I will ask you once again.” Tartarus repeated by asking Hades. “Are you sure that you chose the right Half-Blood?”  
He looked at me for a moment as if he was trying to read me but then he proudly spoke.  
“I wouldn’t be worried about my choice because I’m sure that he and Nico will make me proud.” Hades answered the question like he did before, much to the annoyance of Tartarus.  
The Primordial looked like he was about to say something but he was still interrupted by Hades.  
“I would be more worried about you and what is about to happen to you.” Hades mocked Tartarus.  
He just swiped his hands at us, nonchalantly. And with that, a similar sort of rock structure started surrounding us.  
I started hacking at the Rock Spirals that were coming out of the ground, while Hades also started to help me.  
It proved foolish to attack the Rock’s, because any amount that we destroyed was instantly replaced with doubled, like the Head of a Hydra.  
So I decided to use a different strategy by summoning Spartoi, that would help us to destroy the Rock Spiral’s.  
Hades shot me a slight smile when he understood what I was trying to do then he nodded and started summoning even more soldiers.  
“Was that the best that you got?” I started mocking The Primordial, who was fuming at this point.

Tartarus muttered angrily and then thought aloud for everyone to hear, “Oh. You want my best?  
He started shooting Bolts of Darkness and Shadows at us, and in response Hades started shadow-traveling away while I tried to do the same.  
However, any place that we had landed was directly targeted by Tartarus’ and his Bolts.  
Hades shouted at me from the opposite side of where The Primordial was standing.  
“Maybe, we should try to get close to him and slash at him.” And I liked the sound of that plan so I nodded.  
We both started running and rushing towards Tartarus, with our weapons drawn.  
Hades stabbed his left knee, with such a force that there was a giant cracking sound heard.  
There was a loud scream from Tartarus as Hades grinned and stabbed again.  
I did the same stabbing and a slashing motion, but i could only hit as high up to his lower calf muscle.  
Tartarus kicked me as hard as he could, which disorientated me and it was to the point, where I couldn’t even concentrate and Shadow-Travel.  
I crashed with a loud thud as I felt something in my back, start to hurt very badly.  
A cough escaped my mouth and I could feel the iron and coppery taste in my mouth as I could taste the blood.  
My vision started to dance around in circles, I saw two Primordials and two Hades, almost as if my vision had been split.  
“Finish him.” I heard through the ringing in my ears. “He’s not worth wasting my time.”  
Then I heard Hades’ screaming, “No.” Before the loud clang of swords hitting against each other. 

My vision was still blurry from the impact of hitting against the floor and being hit from Tartarus’ boots.  
However, it had started clearing up for my close distance and I saw a dark figure walking towards me.  
Behind it, there were 2 more figure following it, the difference was that the following shapes, had an outline of a weapon of some sort.  
My vision had started to clear up for my near sightedness, and I could see that the creatures approaching me were Cynocephali.  
I was really hoping that the monsters would get tired of running into their certain demise.  
However, there was something different about this trio of Cynocephali because the one leading them had a crown on his head.  
He was wearing a robe with a shield kept on his right hand but he didn’t carry a weapon.  
Another difference that I had noticed between the Cynocephali was the color of their fur.  
The one that was leading them had reddish fur with, large, rounded ears, hooded eyes with amber-colored irises, and a shorter muzzle.  
However, the two other Cynocephali, wore battle armor which complicated their gray and white skin.  
They also carried a variety of weapons, such as shields, miniature axes and spears.  
“I’m the King of the Cynocephali.” The leading dog creature, started to speak boastfully.  
His guards come to his side, and started pointing their weapons at me, with their tongues drawn out as well.  
I groaned and barely spoke because the pain had not even started to subside but it continued to grow.  
A feeling of panic settled over me when I couldn’t feel my sword next to me, or even near me.  
It was one of the only certainties that I had accessible to me in Tartarus, and I wasn’t ready to lose the valuable gift from Hades.  
I saw my Stygian Iron Falcata, a few feet away from me towards my left so I started crawling towards it.  
The king of the Cynocephali must’ve understood my plan because he’s tatted laughing at me and following me.  
I couldn’t do anything to any of the monsters until I got my weapon back, and each crawl that I took started to hurt my chest immensely.

“You have no idea of what you have gotten yourself into.” The stupid King howled at me.  
I tried ignoring him and continuing to crawl slowly towards my sword but a scream of pain escaped my mouth when he stepped on my hand.  
“You will listen to me.” He spoke with anger before continuing to bark. “Now that Master Tartarus is truly awake.”  
I screamed at the King of the Cynocephali through closed teeth, “I don’t care about you.”   
“Well then, I should certainly make you care.” The King started to laugh before his servants started jumping on me.  
It was a really petty move from the guards, yet it was also effective because I couldn’t do anything.  
I would’ve asked Hades for help but I could hear him in a fight with Tartarus, and I just hoped that he was winning.  
The pain hadn’t even left me before it started up again, each jump on my back aggravated the agony.  
“Enough.” With that simple command, the Cynocephali backed off. “Now let me make this very clear.”  
I still didn’t want to listen because they were only a few Cynocephali and I had taken out amounts of hundred previously.  
However, previously I had my sword with me but this time I was in armed and in serious pain.  
So I could do nothing but listen to the King of the Cynocephali, “You are a Half-Blood, right?”  
I didn’t want to give the dog-headed creature, the satisfaction of me being forced to reply to him.  
But it was the only option that I had, however I still made a conscious effort to keep crawling towards my sword.  
“Yes. But what’s it to you, if I am a Half-Blood.” I replied with agitation laced in my voice. “Shouldn’t you be licking Tartarus’ boots?”  
The king might’ve been done, acting nice because he replied with anger, “I would be more respectful and I would also like to know who your parent is.”  
A small smile spread across my face when I answered, “He is fighting right behind you. Hades.”  
The moment I had uttered the name Hades, a look of fear and apprehension appeared in the faces of all the Cynocephali.  
All three of them took a few steps away from me, maybe they could finally sense the death and fear that was radiating off me.  
“Son of Hades.” The Cynocephali spoke those words as if they were cursed. “You wouldn’t happen to know another Son of Hades, Nico Di Angelo.”  
The mere mention of Neek’s name sent the two guards running away and they would’ve continued to do so, if their king hadn’t told them otherwise.  
Instantly, I felt defensive for my brother but I could hear the fear in the King’s voice so I didn’t feel as if it would be bad if I told the truth.  
“Yes. I do know him. He’s my brother.” The king flinched when I told those last few words and he took a big gulp before speaking.

“It doesn’t matter anyways.” The fear present in his voice proved otherwise. “Tartarus shall destroy you and Hades, then Olympus will fall and what Nero had failed in. We shall succeed.”  
When he had said Nero, his Cynocephali servants lost their minds and started running around while howling.  
I decided to take advantage of the confusion and rushed to my sword and took it back in to my hand.  
That last push towards my Stygian Iron Sword proved painful yet also beneficial.  
I regained the feeling of safety and security that my weapon had provided for me.  
Meanwhile, the king of the Cynocephali had solved through the confusion and his guards were back under control.  
“Unfortunately, two of my favorite followers had sided with Nero and that stupid Son of Hades kille-“  
His sentence was cut short because he looked towards me and was shocked to see my weapon.  
He gulped before asking, his voice drenched with fear, “That wouldn’t happen to be Stygian Iron?”  
“Yes, it is.” I replied with disdain before using my sword as a leverage to stand up.  
However, my balance was really flawed because I almost fell right back down, which received laughter from the Cynocephali.  
“Darius and Kyon. Attack that Son of Hades and bring me his head.” The King ordered his followers to attack.  
The guards didn’t think for even a second before they rushed at me, and when they were just a few feet away from me.  
I slashed in a wide arc in front of me and screamed at them, trying to emit as much fear from myself.  
“If you don’t want to reform for a long time, then take a step towards me.” I dared the Cynocephali.  
And now that they were standing fairly close to me, I could see that they had name tags on their armor.  
The one that was named Darius growled at me and then started walking towards me, with his miniature axe pointed towards me.  
I was ready for a fight but I think that Darius must’ve lost his mind because he just barked loudly and dropped his axe.  
I was completely confused on his plan as he walked towards me and tried to take my sword from me.  
The moment that he touched the Stygian Iron Sword, his hand started smoking and bleeding before he turned into dust which got absorbed by my sword.  
“Does anybody else want to see the effect of Stygian Iron?” I asked the remaining Cynocephali.  
Kyon started shaking his head while the King of the Cynocephali looked scared and disappointed.  
“Why don’t I give you a crash course.” I mocked the dog-headed creatures. “If a monster touches Stygian Iron, they don’t reform for a long time, and sometimes even forever.”  
Kyon must’ve suspected that and I would’ve just confirmed those suspicions because he started running away from me.  
“I shall see you once again, Son of Hades.” The King spoke in fear. “But next time, it will be to destroy you and the other Son of Hades.”  
Both of the Cynocephali ran away, which gave me a moment to sit back down and take a moment to breathe.

The adrenaline rush had stopped which made me concentrate on the battle that was still raging on between Hades and Tartarus.  
I really wanted to rush right back into the fight, but I knew that would be suicidal.  
My backpack had somehow been with me through everything and it still had some Ambrosia left.  
I quickly ate some and covered my self with shadows, because I had discovered that it had a slight healing effect.  
I just took a moment under the shadows until I felt better, since time was of the essence, I couldn’t waste it, just waiting for my injuries to heal.  
The shadows retreated to my will and I saw Hades stab Tartarus once more before he was hit by the Primordial himself.  
My patron flew a few feet and landed with a thud but he got right back up, to see the Primordial laughing.  
I rushed over to Hades’ side and he looked a little surprised to see me, “You got back up?”  
A little smile started building up on the edge of his mouth, which was interrupted by Tartarus’ anger.  
“You’re still alive. I thought you would’ve died.” His words seethed with anger and frustration.  
Hades got back up and mocked the Primordial, “You do understand that he is a Half-Blood child from one of the Elder Olympians.”  
Tartarus replied with no change in tone, “That doesn’t matter to me. I shall destroy him and you then that other child of yours, the Cave-Runners friend. Nico.”  
If the Primordial had a normal face, there would’ve been a giant sneer present on it as he saw the protective look that appeared on Hades’ and my face.  
“I’ve been luring him down here, using Iapetus’ voice.” Tartarus announced which induced an angry reply from me.  
“Do you not have a brain?” I screamed at the Primordial. “No one will ever fall for your stupid tricks.”  
Hades made a mild correction which would’ve got a chuckle out of me, had we not been in such a precarious situation.   
“Well maybe that son of Poseidon would, he is too loyal to his friends.” Hades made a snarky remark.   
I’m not sure if Tartarus heard what we had said, but if he had then he showed no sign of doing so even when Hades continued to speak.  
“If the children of Zeus inherit his stupidity, then one of them could easily fall for this stupid trick.”  
That got a good chuckle out of me, but I knew one daughter of Zeus and Thalia wasn’t stupid at all.  
The Primordial started to run towards us and then stabbed down with his sword, which was promptly deflected by Hades.  
“Just die already.” The frustration present in Tartarus’ voice was very clear. “Would you not like to experience death?”  
I wasn’t really keen on doing so and I think Hades shared my thoughts and apprehension.  
“I would prefer you to experience death.” My Patron spoke as I stabbed the Primordial through his calf.  
I don’t know how long we had been fighting for but it was long enough for me to fight efficiently alongside Hades.

While I wasn’t sure about Hades, I was certainly becoming tired having to fight for this long.  
“Enough.” The Primordial of the Pit screamed once more. “This has gone on for long enough and it ends now.”  
He started throwing hundreds of Shadow Bolts for which the only counter that we had was to create a Shield out of the solidified Darkness to protect us.  
Each hit on my shield, took a lot of energy out of me and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long.  
It took a minute for my shield to collapse and I also fell on the place when my dome broke.  
Tartarus laughed loudly and stopped firing his Bolts, he started slowly walking towards me.  
Hades still had himself covered in his shield, while Tartarus was standing over me.  
I wanted to move away or Shadow-Travel away but I had no power left in me.  
“In the end, none of it mattered.” Tartarus spoke with no regards. “You are a Half-Blood and I am a Primordial. You could’ve never defeated me.”  
He raised his sword and brought it down, I closed my eyes because I didn’t want to see my last few moments.  
However, I was relieved to be set aside by Hades and hear a scream from Tartarus, when he noticed that I was missing.  
“Tartarus.” Hades announced. “You did get one thing right. This ends now, with your death.”  
Suddenly, large rock structures went through The Primordial, while Hades also shot Bolts of Shadows at him.  
Screams of agony and pain escaped him, as the Ichor started to flood out from him.  
The Primordial then fell over on to his knees, and then there were more rock spirals that pierced through him.  
Hades then simply walked over to him, and used his Stygian Iron Sword to stab him through his chest.  
It was a clean strike through his chest and armor, and then he walked away when Tartarus slumped over.  
I asked Hades, “Is he dead?” Those words must’ve reminded Hades of something because his eyes became wide and alert.  
My Olympian Parent quickly rushed over to my side and was about to say something before a huge explosion happened from where Tartarus was last seen.  
With that huge explosion, my ears started ringing and my vision turned black. 


	21. Abdur

I opened my eyes again and I found my self standing next to Hades, but I was at a completely different place.  
The bright white colors started to hurt my eyes, there was such a huge contrast between being in Tartarus and suddenly finding myself in one of the brightest places I had been in.  
Even in it’s weakest definition, the place was a paradise, with golden palaces, parks, and streets bustling with creatures and beings.  
“I don’t get used to the brightness here either.” Hades chuckled along with me.  
I was very confused on where I was and if I had died, “What happened and where am I?”  
Hades just nodded his head and started to explain, “Well Abdur. Welcome to Olympus.”  
“I’m not dead?” I asked Hades, who smiled in reply and shook his head, which filled me with relief.  
Then that brought me to my second question, “What happened to Tartarus? Is he still alive?”  
Hades took a deep breath before speaking, “I will explain in due time. However for now, we have to attend the Summer Solstice.”  
He pointed at the giant white marble doors, that must’ve been at least 50 feet tall.  
Hades gave me a last minute warning, “Before we enter, I would just recommend you to try not to make any enemies.”  
I nodded as the doors opened and Hades teleported inside, I was alone once more as I entered.  
The Hall was modeled after classic Greek architecture but there was also a modern twist to it.  
It must’ve been as big as or even bigger than Maddison Square Garden, and even inside, the room was majestic.  
From the entrance itself, I could see the many thrones that were present, with the Hearth in the middle.  
High above, I could see the blue ceiling that was glittering with different constellations.

To the lower left corner, a house-size globe of water was hovering in the air and inside it was a half-cow, half-serpent creature.  
When I was standing near the Hearth, I noticed a little girl tending and restocking the Hearth.  
She looked like a eight-year-old girl with mousy brown hair, and fire-red eyes that differed from Ares' because they were warm and cozy.  
Unlike the God of War’s, whose eyes and eyes socket’s were filled with hatred and flame.  
She wore a simple brown dress with a scarf over her head, and she also had an incredibly delicious scent of wood smoke and toasted marshmallows.  
I was shocked to see her here as well, because I remember seeing her tending to the Hearth at Camp as well.  
She just smiled at me and nodded towards the Thrones where all the Olympians were sitting.  
I also nodded and started walking towards all of the assembled Olympians, even when I entered the room, I could feel the combined power.  
However, now I found myself wondering how the room didn’t collapse under the immense power of the Olympians.  
There were 13 Thrones arranged in an inverted “U” shape. And 4 supplementary thrones to the right. In addition to those thrones were 3 more towards the left.   
The Thrones all together looked like they were arranged in an Omega shape, the last letter of the Greek alphabet.  
There were two thrones that were placed more centric than the rest, as if they were the true leaders of the Olympians.  
All of the Olympians were sitting on their thrones at a height of 20 feet tall, so I must’ve looked like an ant in front of them.

The God that was sitting on the Throne to my left, was tall, imposing and very muscular.  
He had shoulder-length black hair and a gray-and-black neatly trimmed beard.  
His eyes were an electric blue color, and he wore a serious and proud look on his face.  
The Olympian was wearing a blue and black pinstriped suit. He was seated on a simple throne made out of solid platinum, with lightning designs on the sides.  
I had identified the Olympian as Zeus, which must’ve meant that the other Olympian.  
That was seated on a Throne which had pictures of a willow and peacocks on it. It looked like it was made out of ivory and another material that glittered translucent white, sort of like a cross of silver and diamonds.  
She must’ve been Hera, the Queen of the Heavens and Olympus, and the wife of Zeus.  
“Will you not address the rulers of this house?” Zeus didn’t make a very good first impression.  
One of the other Olympians spoke in my favor. He was seated on a Golden Throne, that had a symbol of the Sun, rising behind it.  
He looked about seventeen or eighteen, with sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks.  
His smile was bright and playful, and he was dressed in jeans, loafers, and a sleeveless T-shirt.  
His eyes shown like molten gold, and he was surrounded by a flickering aura of honey-colored light.  
He spoke in support of me, “Father, he has just gone through Tartarus. He might need some time.”  
“Apollo. I would recommend it for you to not intervene.” Zeus spoke with harshness.  
The Sun God might’ve been about to say something but he stopped himself in between and nodded, yet he still had a distant angry look on his face.  
I decided that it would be best if I just respected Zeus’ order and address him.  
I respectfully bowed down and said, “Yes Uncle Zeus and Ms. Hera. I acknowledge you.”

On the Throne to Zeus’ left, sat a man that looked handsome, powerful yet gentle at the same time.  
He had black hair, a neatly trimmed black beard, a deep tan and sea green eyes.   
The Olympian looked so much luck Percy, that I hadn’t been able to distinguish them besides the beard and Percy looking younger.  
He wore leather sandals, khaki Bermuda shorts, a Tommy Bahama shirt with coconuts and parrots all over it.  
I had identified him as Poseidon, Percy’s father, the God of the Sea, Earth Shaker and Storm Bringer.  
His Throne was a molded black seal leather seat which was attached to a swivel pedestal, and with a built-in holster for a fishing pole.   
However instead of a pole, the holster held a bronze trident, flickering with green light around the tips.  
“You fought bravely in Tartarus.” He spoke gently. “However, not all of the Olympians are convinced on what your arrival means for us.”  
I think so he was just trying to be nice but what he actually meant was, that I didn’t make a great impression as the Son of Hades.  
“Yes, Death Breath.” Ares shouted at me from his Throne that was made out of leather and chrome with large human skulls built into the arms.

I was thankful that not all the Olympians agreed with Ares and that was evident when Athena spoke in my support.  
She scoffed at Ares from her Throne that was made out of silver with golden basket work on the back and sides. It was also adorned with a crown of violets above.  
“Bone-Heads are not allow to be a part of the Olympian voting.” She made fun of the God of War.  
But he didn’t take it well, due to the look of anger on his face and just when he was about to say something, Athena continued talking.  
“I thought you had gotten the memo.” That last remark, drew a few snickers from the rest of the Olympians.  
Then another Goddess with long curly, blond hair the color of ripe wheat, wearing a bright green dress with a dark cape.  
Her Throne was woven of apple-tree branches, wheat stalks, and dried grass.   
She spoke sternly towards the other Olympians, “Are we not here for a solstice meeting?”  
There were quiet mutters of “Yes” “No” and “We don’t care.” Until Hades agreed, “Demeter is right.”  
She just sighed and shook her head, almost as if she had something against Hades.

I tried to ignore that, and listened to another Olympian that was sitting on a a silver Throne, which had two date palms on the back, full moons above.  
She looked like she was 15 years old, and she had cold and bright eyes as silvery yellow as the winter, and auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail.   
While it was a little odd seeing a 15 year old, that was 20 feet tall but she was also very pretty, in a scary way.  
“What are we voting for again?” She didn’t seem like a person who would be forgetful but I wasn’t surprised, when she asked the rest of the Olympians.  
Then our Camp Director, Mr Dionysus, who was sitting on Throne made out of grape vines, smiled thinly.  
“We are going to be deciding if this Half-Blood gets a reward or faces his death.”   
I didn’t like the sound of facing my death, especially after I had gone through Tartarus.   
“He has gone through Tartarus, just to stop his rise.” Aphrodite spoke in my favor as well.   
Apollo nodded and continued, “True Olympian Justice would be to honor him rather than destroy him.”  
Ares started laughing and snorting, “I believe that I should be allowed to stomp him into the ground.”  
This time Poseidon spoke with a little more conviction, “Have all of you forgotten the promise that we made to Percy?”   
I heard Ares mumble, “I don’t really care about it.” And he received burning glares from Poseidon.  
“The oath of the Big Three is nonexistent.” Poseidon continued speaking. “We should be welcoming him with open arms, not trying to get him killed.”

I was really happy that a lot of the Olympians were supporting me, and Hades even had a slight smile of relief on his face.  
“That doesn’t change the fact that he could be used as a weapon.” Zeus made sure his point was put across.  
Hades asked with a hint of irritation in his voice, “And I’d you don’t mind me asking, who would do that?”  
Zeus started grumbling, “Come on Athena, are you not going to support me?”   
He didn’t wait for the Goddess of Wisdom to reply and continued talking by himself.  
“What if you use him against Olympus?” He looked at Hades, who just shook his head at the accusation.  
I felt as if he was being a little paranoid, but I didn’t dare stop him when he continued.  
“What if a Titan or even Tartarus converts him to their side?” Zeus continued asking questions.  
Poseidon was about to say something but he was interrupted by Zeus, who was still skeptical.  
“Brother, before you say anything.” Zeus said. “Do you know why I didn’t allow you to keep the Ophiotaurus with you in Atlantis.”  
Poseidon’s expression instantly changed from being calm to angry, and then he replied.  
“It’s because you were afraid that I would use Bes- the Ophiotaurus as a bargaining chip.”  
Zeus nodded his head and then gestured towards me as if to make a comparison.  
“Father. I don’t think so that Uncle Hades would use Abdur as a bargaining chip.” Athena spoke with confidence.

Hera spoke for the first time, “We are all members of the Olympian Council. So we shall vote.”   
Everyone seemed to like that idea and a mutual agreement to continue with the voting as planned was decided.  
“Everyone that is in support of punishing Abdur.” Zeus announced. “Raise there hands now.”  
Six hands went up. Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Dionysus, Ares and another God whose face was red, lumpy and covered with welts.  
His body was a little deformed and his legs were placed in creaking steel braces.  
Besides that, there was no discerning feature about the Olympian, I presumed him to be Hephaestus.  
A sigh of relief left my mouth as I had barely won the voting and I wouldn’t be destroyed.  
Zeus grumbled, “Well it seems as if the majority of the Olympians, do not agree with my decision, so your life shall be spared.”  
“And he shall be rewarded.” Apollo added on to my surprise, and also Zeus’ surprise.  
Zeus looked like he was about to make a counter argument before he stopped himself in between.  
“Fine. The Olympian council swears on the River Styx to give you a reward of your choice. If it is with in due reason.”

I knew exactly what I wanted, but I wasn’t sure if it felt in their due reason category, and I was certain that no one besides Hades would be able to grant my wish.  
I made sure to voice my concerns to the Olympians, “I don’t think that any of you will be able to give me the reward that I desire.”  
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Zeus, his face contorted into a sneer.  
In his hands appeared a two-foot-long cylinder of Celestial Bronze, capped on both ends with electrical explosives.  
“I have had enough of your insults.” He screamed at me as the room filled with the distinct smell of Ozone.  
I had about a millisecond to react as thousands of tendrils of lightning bolts were shot at me.  
I tried to create a shield in front of me and I thought that I was successful in my defense attempt.  
That was until the shield stopped working, even though I was concentrating on it.  
I looked around to see most of the Olympians with fear on their face as they looked at Zeus, who was fuming.  
There were pieces of solidified darkness and shadows around me, which dissolved in the light.  
I noticed Hades’ with a look of anger and his hand pointed in my general direction.  
That’s when I put two and two together, while I might’ve created a shield, it hadn’t stood up to Zeus’ Master Bolt.  
However, Hades had saved my life once more by creating another shield below mine.

My Olympian Parent was fuming and arguing with Zeus, “This is exactly why I stayed away from Olympus.”  
Zeus just shrugged, “I apologize for my outburst, but he did insult all of the Olympians.”  
Hephaestus nodded, “Zeus is right. He said that none of us will be able to give him the reward that he desires.”  
Hades shot him a death stare, and in reply, Hephaestus reclined back into his Throne.  
I started to speak and make a correction, “Actually Hades is the only Olympian here, that can grant my desire.”  
I think that Zeus’ got even madder, when I mentioned Hades being the only one to give me, my wish.  
Hades looked at me as if he was trying to understand what I was going to ask for.  
I replied, a little apprehensive, “I know that being a Child of Hades, I should know the boundaries of death.”  
Hades understood where I was going with this but he didn’t try to stop me from talking.  
“But I want to bring someone back to life from Elysium.” That remark from me, perked up all of the Olympians.

Hades said nothing for a whole minute before sighing, “I will allow it.” None of the Olympians must’ve been expecting him to do that.  
Because there was a loud, collective gasp from the Olympian Council, who wore looks of shocks on their face.  
Zeus wasn’t impressed so he announced, “If everything has been discussed, then the Olympian Council is dismissed.”  
He flashed away in a golden shimmer of light, and the other Olympian shrunk in size.  
Until they were around human size, some choose to be around 6 feet, and some decided to be around 10 feet, like my Patron Hades.  
Poseidon walked up to me, and I could smell the fresh sea scent emanating from him.  
He stood a foot tall than me then he smiled calmly and gently, his sea-green eyes reminded me of Percy.  
“I’m happy that you weren’t punished by Zeus.” He spoke with sincerity, as if he meant every word he said. “And I do apologize for the Olympians that voted against you.”   
I nodded and replied, “Thank you Uncle Poseidon for not voting against me living.”  
He simple smiled and asked a question, “I hope you don’t mind me asking for a favor.”  
“I have no problem.” I replied to the Earth Shaker. “What is the favor that you would want?”  
“When you meet Percy.” He replied with a faraway look. “Tell him that I miss him and wish him luck. Also that he should visit more often.”  
I nodded to a smiling Poseidon, who quickly thanked me before disappearing in a splash of water.

“You’ve fought well, Half-Blood.” I heard a similar voice from behind me, it was Athena.  
I thanked her but she just shook her head, “As I had said, I would be in your support at the Solstice, but I do apologize for the others.”  
She didn’t wait for my reply before busting into a column of flame and leaving elsewhere.  
“We should probably go back to the Underworld.” Hades walked towards me and started explaining.  
He cast a giant shadow and asked me, “Can you Shadow-Travel?” I nodded my head in reply.  
We both entered the shadows, and then started Shadow-Traveling back to Hades’ palace.  
During the time spent in the shadows, I had noted how scared everyone had begun to act around me.  
I also noted this from the Olympians, they didn’t look scared as much as the mortals but it was still evident, that they would’ve preferred to stay away from me and Hades.  
We finished a journey, that had taken me and my friends a few days, within 5 minutes.  
Hades looked around and asked all of the skeletons and other ghosts to leave the Throne Room.  
Even the Furies, that sat on his huge black onyx Throne decorated with many skulls, flew away.  
I had also noted that the Throne that he sat on Olympus, was very similar to his Throne in the Underworld.  
That reminded me of how uptight Zeus and Hera were, and that made me think that it would’ve taken a lot of arguing to allow Hades to have such a Throne.

“Abdur.” Hades got my attention. “I might not say this very often, but I’m really proud of you and Nico.”  
He smiled because he must’ve noticed the gleam of happiness and pride in my eyes.  
“Both of you have brought honor my name, and our house.” Hades continued talking. “And I know that both of you will continue to do so.”  
I nodded and replied, “Yes dad.” It did feel a little weird calling him dad but it also felt fitting.  
He sighed and then started explaining, “But I just wish that I could say that Tartarus has been defeated.”  
I didn’t understand what he meant so I asked him to explain, “Tartarus hasn’t been defeated?”  
Hades shook his head, “Unfortunately not. We’ve only damaged him enough to keep him quiet for a year or two.”  
That made my heart drop, and the great environment of happiness that had been set up was destroyed.  
“He’ll recollect his conscience.” Hades wore a grim look. “And in a few years, he’ll attack harder.”  
Hades must’ve read the environment of the room damper, because he tried to cheer me up.  
“But for now, it’s time to celebrate.” He announced. “You’ve survived Tartarus.”

That did make me feel better, especially when Hades continued speaking and announced.  
“And what better way to do that, besides giving you and Nico Thrones.” He wrapped an arm around me, and started walking towards his Throne.  
I noticed there were 2 additional mini-Thrones, in addition to the two giant ones.  
The thrones from left to right were as followed.   
First it was Hades’ Throne, which was made out of pure Stygian Iron with the faces of dead people engraved on it.  
The next one was Nico’s which was also made of Stygian Iron and had skulls with one Pomegranate and a Moonlace flower at the bottom.   
Ghost King was written in a plaque at the bottom, and Nico Di Angelo was also engraved on it.  
The Throne to Nico’s left was mine, and it was made of pure Stygian Iron as well as being covered in skulls.   
King of Ghosts was written in a plaque at the bottom, with my name also engraved on it.  
It had a Moonlace flower blooming at the bottom and a Pomegranate growing as well.  
The last Throne on the right was Persephone’s, which looked like it was made to represent spring time   
But it also had parts of it looking like the Underworld while being covered in Moonlace. (Which was blooming beautifully in the dark.)

“There’s always place for you and Nico in the Underworld.” Hades informed me. “Besides the Throne, both of you also have a room here.”  
I felt my throat close up and I just hugged Hades. I don’t think he was expecting it either because took him a minute to process it.  
“Thank you.” I barely spoke as I let go of the hug. I didn’t care what anyone would think, I was so happy that Hades choose me.  
I had gotten a new family in Nico. And I had also discovered the Half-Blood world.  
Hades smiled at me and continued speaking, “And even if you want want to stay here, I want you to remember us and always have a part of the Underworld with you.”  
He took off the skull shaped ring he was wearing on his left middle finger and handed it to me.  
“I want you to keep this.” He told me as I looked at him in surprise. “I want this to be a reminder, that you’ll always have a family to come back to.”  
For the second time, in the span of a few minutes, I felt like hugging Hades again.  
I had noticed that it was a silver skull ring, and also very similar to the one that Nico wore.  
I simply wore it on my left middle finger, it was a perfect fit and it also looked amazing, I thanked Hades once more.  
“Now about that person, that you wanted to bring back from Elysium.” Hades asked me.  
I informed him of the Half-Blood of my choice and he smiled as he instructed Alecto, to bring that Half-Blood.

“Why did you choose him?” Hades asked me slowly, almost in a kind and gentle tone.  
I was caught by surprise but I still answered, “He is definitely going to be important to the war against Tartarus.”  
Hades nodded as I continued, “He might be crucial to the prophecies to come and my friends also miss him a lot.”  
He smiled, “I know that you’ve made he right choice. I’ll say it again, I’m proud of you and Nico.”  
The Fury Alecto returned and put a handsome and young Half-Blood in front of us.  
He had regal features, with sky blue eyes, and grown out blond hair that looked very silky.  
He also had an odd small scar on the corner of his lip. His face was king and gentle but it also held sadness.  
He couldn’t have been older than 16, and he must’ve been taller than me by a inch or two.  
He also wore glasses that looked like there frame was made out of Imperial Gold.

He bowed down to Hades and spoke with respect, “Mister Hades. You have called for me?”  
I noticed how he had tried to sound confident, but his voice faltered and broke just a little.  
”Why don’t you both get to know each other.” Hades informed me and looked at the Half-Blood.  
“Pleased to meet you.” I walked up to him and held my hand out. “I’m Abdur.”  
“I’m Jason Grace.” He shook my hand as well, and I noticed the tattoo of an eagle with SPQR and twelve lines. “The Son of Jupiter.”  
When we shook hands, I could’ve sworn I felt a light electric shock, pass through me.  
“And you are?” Jason asked me and I also noticed his sky blue eyes, that looked almost electric.  
“I’m the Son of Hades.” I spoked to the surprise of Jason, who smiled in a look of admiration.  
The tense environment, that had been built up, just dissipated in a moments notice.  
Jason continued smiling, “I thought that I had noticed you from somewhere. He walked over and stood besides me.  
“You look a lot like Nico, especially with your matching style, the black shirt, jeans and jacket.”  
I smiled and then nodded, “Yes. I’ve also thought about it and I do look like my brother, Nico.” 

“How’s everyone doing?” A look of guilt passed over Jason’s face. “I mean like Nico, Will, Piper and the rest.”  
“I think you will have to find that out yourself.” I thinly smiled, which I barely wanted to do, and told Jason, who looked confused.  
A look of sadness passed over his face, “While I would love to, I had made my sacrifice and I cannot leave the Underworld.”  
I started explaining, “Well the thing is that I was granted a wish from Hades, and I choose to bring you back to life.”  
He became flustered and barely stuttered out, “But...wait...why? You brought me back to life?”  
I nodded to a still confused Jason, who looked at Hades sitting on his Throne, almost as if to ask him if this was real.  
Hades also nodded his head and Jason’s facial experience started to show a sign of hope.  
Jason moved into a hugging motion, but I just shook my head to tell him that I’d rather not.  
He kept his right hand behind his head and apologized, “Oh yea, I forgot about that. No physical contact. How about a handshake?”  
Jason held his hand out, and waited for me to shake it, I obliged and shook his hand, and received a warm smile from him.

I looked at Hades and then asked him, “Hey dad, can we be transported to Camp Half-Blood?”  
He nodded and then replied, “Sure. Just remember to visit every once in a while, and bring Nico along as well.”  
Then Hades snapped his finger and in the blink of an eye, I found my self standing with Jason outside of the dining pavilion.  
I looked inside and saw all of the campers gathered in a row, many of them wore a sad look on their face while a few smiled thinly and discreetly.  
Nico was standing next to the pavilion fire, he held a black colored shroud in his hand.  
It had the design of Hades’ Helm of Darkness, and a Stygian Iron Sword on it.   
I realized that shroud had been made for me. Everyone must’ve still thought I was dead.  
Jason asked me, “Who’s shroud are they making? And why does it have the Hel-“  
He must’ve got the answer by himself because he stopped speaking and looked at me.   
“Did you also die?” He asked me. “And if you didn’t then why does everyone think that you’re dead?”  
I looked at him with a feeling of dread building up, “Well it’s a long story but the short version is that The Pit is trying to rise.”  
He went wide eyed as if I just confirmed his worst fears, “I thought that was just a rumor.”  
I shook my head and continued, “I jumped into The Pit of Evil, in an attempt to stop him from rising.”  
“You did what.” Jason looked at me with admiration. “I know Nico has done it and so have Percy and Annabeth, and now you also.”

“I think that I should stop them from burning my shroud.” I informed Jason. “Just wait here for minute.”  
He nodded as I started walking ahead towards the assembled campers, and I heard Will speaking.  
“He was a great hero.” Will sniffled and dabbed a tear away. “He jumped into Tartarus, just to save us all.”  
I interrupted the speech, “And fortunately he is still alive. I presume that you are talking about me.”  
Everyone was silent for a moment and all the Demigods standing next to me moved away.  
Nico became wide eyed and dropped the shroud that he was holding, he ran to me and held me in a hug.  
I had noticed that he was blinking back tears, and I was doing the same while embracing him.  
“Never, and I mean NEVER, do that to me again.” Nico had let me go from the hug and swiped the tears in his eyes away.  
I didn’t even care if everybody was watching but I openly broke down in Nico’s arms.  
No words besides incoherent babbles left my mouth while I hugged Nico tightly.  
I buried my face into Nico’s shoulder and then tried to blink the tears out of my eyes.  
“I’m sorry.” I don’t know what got over me, but I felt tears leave my eyes again. “I missed you Neeks.”  
Nico just softly smiled and said, “Hey why don’t we go to the infirmary and check on those injuries of yours.”

Hazel walked up to me and gave me a big gleaming smile before hugging me tightly.   
“I’m glad that you’re alive.” I felt the same as Hazel as she let go of me and said. ”All of us missed you.”  
I had never felt emotions this intense since I had become a Half-Blood, “I missed all of you as well.”  
“It’s ok.” Hazel smiled and pulled me into a hug again, she patted my back as well. “You’ve been through a lot.”  
I found myself crying into Hazel’s shoulder, and then blinking the tears out of my eyes.  
Hazel smiled and then told me, “You had one home and now you have two.”  
I nodded before remembering, “Wait. Is Piper here and also Percy, Leo and everyone else.” I looked around as all the Half-Bloods that had went on the quest stepped forward.  
Percy informed me, “Yes everyone is here.” I nodded and then announced to all of them.  
“Someone came back to meet all of you.” I spoke as Jason stepped forward and stood next to me.  
There was utter silence until Piper stuttered out, “Jase...Jason? You’re here?”  
Jason spoke with an almost apologetic tone, “Pipes. Yes I’m alive.” Piper just ran up to him and hugged him.  
Most of the campers had started to disperse as well as Chiron, who led the campers to their next activity.   
He didn’t ask us to come with them, so I presumed that he meant to give us time just to talk.  
Leo looked at me with confusion, “Why do you look so terrible? And how are you alive? You’re supp-“  
Calypso shot him an angry look and worded his concerns better, “What Leo means is that we thought you didn’t make it out of Tartarus.”  
Percy nodded and continued, “Yes. You couldn’t have used the Doors of Death.”  
“Percy’s right.” Annabeth spoke with clarity. “You’d need someone to hold the Doors open from both ends.”

“Everyone give him some time.” Hazel reminded my friends. “He’s just been through Tartarus.”  
All of them just looked down as if they forgot that had really happened and I did hear a few apologies muttered.  
“No. No, I can speak about it.” I assured my friends. “I had some help in Tartarus.”  
That perked everyone up and Will asked me, “Help? Who was there to help you.”  
Frank also nodded along and he might’ve been thinking about how crazy it would be to receive help in Tartarus.  
“It was Hades.” I announced much to that shock of my fellow Half-Bloods. “He helped me fight The Pit and then escape.”  
Piper, who was standing next to Jason asked me, “What about the Summer Solstice?”  
I took a few minutes, completely explaining each and every event that had happened at the Summer Solstice.  
“Also Percy.” I got his attention. “Your dad said that he misses you and that you should visit more often.”  
Percy smiled and thanked me for delivering the message. Eventually I started explaining everything that had happened in Tartarus and after.

When I had gotten to the part, where Zeus tried to smite me, Jason turned red and apologized.  
“I’m sorry for his unacceptable behavior.” Jason said as I shook his concerns away.  
It was nice just to have some time talking to the people that I had started to call family and friends.  
We just spent a few hours talking and not having to deal with monsters while constantly worrying about our lives.  
When we were nearing dinner time, Hazel and Frank announced to all of the Half-Bloods present.  
“We had a great time with all of you. But we have a camp to return to and an army to lead.”  
Jason must’ve not know about the new changes because he asked, “Weren’t Frank and Reyna the Praetors?”  
Hazel laughed and informed Jason, “Well Reyna joined the hunt and I got promoted to Praetor.”  
Jason looked lost for a second and an expression of pain passed over his face, almost as if he was thinking about what if.  
“Congratulations.” He said and congratulated Hazel and Frank wholeheartedly. “I know that both of you will do an amazing job.”

Hazel specifically asked for a minute with me and Nico, so we stepped out and listened to her.  
“Thank you both.” She started to speak as her voice cracked a little. “For everything, especially for sticking with me.”  
Nico and I just shook her thanks away because we were her brothers and we were going to protect her.  
Hazel wrapped me and Nico in a giant group hug, and started to sniffle a little, “I really mean all of it.”  
I wasn’t used to this much physical contact and I don’t think Nico was either because both of us looked a little uncomfortable.  
However, since it was Hazel who both of us considered our sister, that definitely removed most to the awkwardness.  
After Hazel let go off the hug and I noticed that her eyes had become puffy and a little red.  
Instantly Nico became defensive, “Hey Hazel, what’s wrong?” I nodded with him, a protective glare on my face.  
“Yes. Everything’s fine, it’s just.” Hazel dabbed her tears away and tried to smile. “I’m worried.”  
This time, it was my turn to ask her, “Worried about what? You can tell us Sis.”  
She nodded before continuing to explain, “What if Hank convinced the other Legionaries to remove me and Frank.”  
Nico instilled confidence in Hazel, “Sis trust me. I don’t think that there are enough stupid Legionaries that will vote against either of you.”  
“And if they do.” I added along to Nico’s statement. “Well then they’re going to have to face Nico and I.”  
That drew a chuckle from Hazel, who looked like she felt much better, and she started thanking us before we moved back towards our group.

Everyone must’ve noticed how Hazel looked but Frank was the only one, who made an effort to ask her.  
He walked over to her and quietly whispered something in her ear, which I presumed must’ve been to ask her if she was ok.  
She nodded and smiled before receiving a giant hug from Frank and leaning onto his shoulder.  
Piper sighed, “I really wish that there was a way to connect Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter, because right now they are just too far away.”  
“Actually there could be a way.” Annabeth suggested. “We could get the Hecate Cabin to open a portal that connects the camps.”  
“This is an amazing idea.” Will beamed and started to glow. “Camp Jupiter has a lot of supplies and if we could inter-operate, then Tartarus could be less serious of a threat.”  
Leo looked at him all serious, “Wait a minute, are you glowing?” I had also noticed the slight glow from Will.  
Will blushed a little before the glowing from him died down and he shrugged, “It happens if I want it to and sometimes, if I’m feeling strong emotions.”  
That made sense to me and everyone else, because there were no more questions asked to Will.

Percy asked one of the last questions in our meeting, “So who’s staying here at Camp for the summer?”  
Leo and Calypso had the same response, because Leo announced to all of us.  
“I’m going to stay at Camp.” He explained himself. “The Hephaestus Cabin needs their Head Counselor back.”  
Calypso nodded and then started talking, “I’m also going to be staying here. Try to make some friends.”  
“Esa es mi cariño.” Leo smiled with love-struck eyes and melted into her arms.  
Calypso smiled brightly and kissed him on his forehead, “Come on Valdez, I wouldn’t just leave you alone here.”  
“And that is why you’re my Sunshine.” Leo continued to hold her in the hug before finally letting go.  
Piper laughed and joked with Calypso and Leo, “Must you both shove your love down our throat.”  
There were no hard feelings because everyone laughed even Calypso and Leo, who tried to act mad.  
“Really Pipes?” Leo tried to act angry. “Must you really try to hurt me like this?”   
Piper just laughed which hadn’t seemed likely a few weeks ago, “Come on repair boy, you know I’m just joking.”  
“I’ll be traveling between both camps.” Jason spoke. “Checking up on my project for respecting the Minor Gods.”  
That seemed like a good plan for all of us and even more so when Jason continued to explain.  
“By the way, how is my plan going?” Jason asked us. “Have they been expanded on?”  
Frank nodded and vehemently explained, “We’ve been adding new shrines every week and then after we’re finished, we will hand the details over to Camp Half-Blood.”

Leo also agreed, “That sounds great and the Hephaestus Cabin can take charge for the project.”  
I noticed a proud gleam in Jason’s eyes as Annabeth’s further established and explained.  
“And the Athena Cabin can also help out with the design. And if no one minds then I could use this for my first term project.”  
No one said anything and Piper also agreed, “I don’t think anyone would mind.”  
With that Frank and Hazel said their goodbye’s before making a request, “Could we borrow a Pegasus? Public transport is not really the quickest or safest option.”  
“Actually, I have a better idea.” Jason smiled before quietly whispering to himself. “I hope this works.”  
Percy seemed to have understood what Jason was trying to do because he also smiled in anticipation.  
A giant bolt of lightning scorched the ground next to Jason, who had begin to grin widely now.  
A horse with grey colored skin was standing next to Jason, it looked like it was made out of thunderclouds and electricity.  
There were tendrils for lightning circling around it and it’s eyes were an electric yellow color.  
The horse made a loud neighing sound before nuzzling his head against Jason.   
“Yes. I missed you too Tempest.” Jason chuckled to our amusement. “Hey, what do you have there buddy?”  
He held a golden sword in his hand, that he had removed from a bag on Tempest.

It was made out of Imperial Gold, and had a royal golden glow to it, as if it was meant for a king.  
Just by looking at it, I got the idea that it wasn’t a traditional Greek Sword because it didn’t look like one.  
The sword was smaller than mine and Nico’s which was odd, seeing how Jason was taller than us.  
“Is that your sword?” Nico asked Jason, who looked like he was asking himself this question.   
He twisted in his hand and then replied, “Well there’s only one way to find out.”   
I didn’t understand what he meant, but my friends must’ve because they looked on in anticipation.  
Suddenly, Jason’s sword changed itself into a spear of the same Imperial Gold material.  
Everyone had a little smile on their face but Jason was full on grinning, “This is definitely Juno’s Gladius.”  
Lightning started building up around his weapon, that he had willed back into a sword.  
“That gladius is definitely better than Lamer.” Percy laughed along with Jason.   
Annabeth lightly punched Percy on his shoulder, “Come on Seaweed Brain, you know better.”  
Percy just kissed Annabeth to her surprise and then shrugged after letting go, “I’m sorry Wise Girl.”  
In reply, Annabeth just smiled and melted into Percy’s arms, who happily welcomed her.

“Like I was about to say.” Jason looked at Frank and Hazel. “Both of you can use Tempest to get back to Camp Jupiter.”  
Hazel chuckled, “Well then Jason, you must be forgetting that I have a quicker horse.”  
There was a loud clopping sound heard from the distance, and in a few seconds, Arion was standing in front of us.  
Hazel patted the horse on his head and fed it some gold bars that my sister had pulled from the ground below.  
“I hope you don’t mind taking us back to Camp Jupiter.” Hazel politely asked Arion, who neighed in reply.  
“Hey Arion. Mind your language, we’ve got kids here.” Percy’s face curled into a scowl.  
Arion neighed and hit his feet on the ground before he squealed and snorted.  
“Hazel, you really need to wash his mouth out with soap.” Percy started translating. “Oh and he says that he won’t take you.”  
Arion nickered and quickly ran away, leaving us in his dirt and dust, while Hazel muttered, “So much for loyalty.”   
Then she laughed nervously and looked at Jason, “Guess we will be needing Tempest anyways.”  
Jason smirked and nodded then instructed Tempest to take Frank and Hazel back to Camp Jupiter.  
Both of them sat on Tempest, and said their final goodbyes as the Storm Horse flew off with electric speeds.

The conch horn was sounded and we made our way to the dining pavilion, where we took our seats.  
“Before we start eating.” Chiron announced. “We have some news that everyone deserved to know.”  
There were some murmurs and quiet chatters that were passing among the Half-Bloods.  
“As you know, we have had all of the Half-Bloods from the quest return alive and successfully.” Chiron continued talking.  
There were cheers spread through the campers and Chiron silenced them so that he could continue.  
“And we also had a fellow Half-Blood, return from the death.” Chiron spoke with glee in his voice.   
All the Demigods started cheering loudly at that remark from Chiron, who was smiling himself.  
“I would like Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter to step forward.” Chiron announced as Jason stood from the Zeus table.  
Chiron spoke, “We are all glad that you’ve been brought back to life, but could you explain how this happened.”  
Jason took a few minutes to explain how I had requested Hades to bring him back.  
Chiron looked confused at the concept, as if he didn’t believe that Hades, could do something like this.   
However, he didn’t say anything else related to the whole event besides asking Jason to sit down.  
Chiron then directed his attention towards me, “And I will presume that The Pit has been defeated?”  
My heart dropped, I didn’t know I could explain it to all of the Half-Bloods that Tartarus hadn’t been defeated.

Everyone looked at me expectantly, almost hoping for good news, and that’s when I realized that I hadn’t even told my friends about what had happened.  
“Well...well...what happened is.” I stuttered to the dismay of the other campers. “Tartarus hasn’t truly been defeated.”  
All of the murmurs and muttering from the campers stopped, there was dead silence in the dining pavilion.  
My friends looked at me with confusion plastered on their face, and Chiron himself didn’t understand what I meant.  
Sherman Yang stood up and looked at me with anger, “WHAT do you mean that Tartarus hasn’t been defeated.”  
I replied through closed teeth, “I would prefer it for you, to not use his name, they have power.”  
Chiron also agreed with me and spoke, “Sherman give him time to speak, I’m sure there is a logical explanation.”  
Sherman grudgingly sat back down, and I gulped before continuing to speak, “The Pit has only been delayed for a few years.”  
Most of the Campers and my friends, had pained looks on their faces as if I had betrayed them.  
”In the Abyss, Hades and I had defeated him but since it was in his domain, his essence wasn’t scattered far enough.”  
Sherman’s eye began twitching and his face became red from anger, like a volcano about to explode.  
“So your quest was useless.” He finally stood and spoke. “You’re useless, and here the campers were about to glorify you.”  
I wanted to say something in my defense but it failed and no words left my mouth.   
Memories came rushing back, the attack on Camp Jupiter, Hades’ Palace and the army that was going to attack Camp Half-blood.  
The time that I had spent in Tartarus started to replay in my mind, the feeling of helplessness settled once again.

“ANSWER US.” Sherman was practically screaming at the top of his lungs. “Why did you fa-“  
“ENOUGH.” Nico stood next to me and I felt a sense of relief spread through me. “He’s dome more than you ever will.”  
Sherman just acted like Nico was bluffing and he spoke with disdain, “Bah. Like what?”   
Nico looked at him with a death stare and answered, “He went through Tartarus, you haven’t even been in the Underworld.”  
He put his arm around my shoulder and spoke with confidence, “If anyone has a problem with my brother, then that means they have a problem with me.”  
I felt tears building up in my eyes again, so I buried my face into his shoulder and blinked the tears away.  
“Thank you Neeks.” I told him with gratitude. “You’re the best brother that I’ve had.”   
Everybody became quiet and we both sat down with Chiron quietly muttering to himself before telling us to start eating.  
I appreciated Nico once again, “Thank you for supporting me, I meant it when I said that you’re the best brother.”  
He was absentmindedly poking at his pasta before he smiled then nodded at me.  
“I’m also glad that you’re my brother Abdur and I’m so happy that Hades choose you.”  
I smiled which was different from the time that I had spent in Tartarus, which was filled with pain.  
Nico, who was sitting to my left, examined the skull ring on my left hands middle finger.  
He showed me his skull ring on his left hands middle finger, it was identical to mine.  
“Guess we have another thing that matches.” I smiled and made a remark to Nico.  
He nodded and then asked me, “But where did you get this from, Hades gave me mine.”  
I also nodded in response before elaborating, “Hades also gave me mine as well.”  
The rest of the time at dinner was spent eating before Chiron informed us to retreat to our cabins.

When Nico and I were walking back to Cabin 13, Sherman walked over to us and looked at me.  
“I hope that both of you don’t think that going through Tartarus will suddenly make you popular.”  
I shook my head at Sherman, who was still fuming with anger, “I don’t care about popularity, I’d rather stick to the shadows.”  
Sherman looked at me with a look of confusion replacing his anger before it returned, “Just stay away from me.”  
We continued walking back to our Cabin, when Nico muttered, “I really hate him.”  
I shared the sentiments with him, and nodded before agreeing with him about the Counselor of the Ares cabin.  
We entered our Cabin and Nico told me, “Hey Abdur there is a spare T-shirt, jeans and a jacket in the closet. Your clothes look pretty damaged, so you can take those clothes.”  
I thanked him and took the clothes to the bathroom in the Hades Cabin and changed my clothes.  
After that, Nico and I hugged each other goodnight before laying down to sleep.  
I had no dreams but I woke up in a groggy state, when a giant blast resonated through the air.  
My ears were ringing intensely, and I looked around the room and saw Nico had also woken up.  
He looked as confused and dazed as me then he asked me, “What just happened?”  
I stood up when my ear’s stopped ringing, “I’m not sure, but we would go and find out.”  
Me and Nico took our respective Stygian Iron swords before heading out of the doors. 


End file.
